Fate: Stay Nightmare
by X the Reaper
Summary: 10 years after the end of the 4th Grail War, Angra Mainyu draws forth warriors from different realms to battle once more with every intention of returning to life. How? Raise 15 Servants! Now Shirou, Saber, and company must challenge opponents old and new in this nightmare, all while a new foe watches with interest. Remember, Death is inevitable to all, but Fate can be redirected.
1. The Return of the Servants

**Welcome all readers, new and old. This is X the Reaper, and whether you've stayed with me from the beginning, waited until this point, or just got to the party, I hope you enjoy the following story.**

**At long last, the story of the Fifth Holy Grail War will be written. For a whole year I'm been writing to build to this point, writing the story of the Fourth War and even a sidestory connecting events between the two, and at long last I'm here.**

**Get ready everybody, because it's gonna be a whopper!**

**Disclaimer: Fate/stay Night is property of Type-Moon and its affiliated parties, and any other series mentioned in some form are property of their respective parties. X the Reaper owns nothing save this story.**

**Let's get on with it!**

**(Note: While this is technically a crossover with multiple anime, a good host of the Servants are from videogame-based series as well. Just want to get that out there).**

* * *

_Ten years. How much is that in the grand scheme of things?_

_To an existence like Gaia, ten years isn't even enough time to plan the end of the human race. For millennia, the planet has evolved to its current form, the World attempting to reach that point of perfection and fullness of existence. To the World, ten years is less than a millisecond._

_To a Dead Apostle, ten years enough time to gain power and become even stronger. After all, as long as they sufficient blood and the like, they're more or less immortal to time's passage. It might even be enough time, for the truly determined, to become sufficiently powerful enough to challenge and kill their former master, becoming the new leader. For a Dead Apostle, ten years is a stepping stone to greatness._

_To a human, ten years is enough time to grow from a child to an adult, or to fully realize untapped potential. A single year is enough time for a child to grow physically and mentally, to enter puberty, or to undergo experiences that will change who they are and the way they see the world. Even five years is enough time to finish high school, or college, and switch occupations, sometimes more than once. While it's true some humans can go fifteen or twenty years without changing what they do, human lives are normally in a constant state of flux. Even for an adult, looking ahead just ten years feels like a long time. For a human, ten years is life-changing._

_To the beings within Holy Grail, ten years is time to review an infinite number of possibilities and probabilities, things that have happened, could have happened, and might happen; decisions that were never made and choices that can change the tide of future events. For them, who desired to live in the physical universe once again and fulfill their dreams, ten years is planning time that cannot go to waste. _

_To a war of magi and warriors of legend, on which the fate of humanity and the world itself will ultimately depend upon the conclusion of, ten years can be the difference between victory and defeat or, for some, life and death._

* * *

**_Within the Holy Grail_**

_The space within the wish-granting artifact known as the Holy Grail is not a static place. It changes depending on those in control of it. Normally, it takes the form of a complete void, whose color depends on the 'mood' of its master. And while it could in theory change to more... vibrant or filled areas, the master of this space was too bored to ever try and make it anymore interesting._

_The other occupant of this space would say that he 'lacked imagination or will' to try, but that would be tantamount to suicide as the main master had the strength to erase his very existence from this plane for good and had considered it at several points._

_As of the currently, it was pure white with black lines spreading like cracks throughout the entire area. Earth and sky had no meaning, as whatever someone 'stood' on looked exactly the same as what was 'above' them._

_Upon this plane, the being known as Prometheus sat in a crosslegged position, his crimson eyes shut as his mind reviewed everything that had happened up to this point._

_The Fourth Holy Grail War had been a disaster. Ten years ago in the city of Fuyuki, Japan, in that battle for a miracle, seven Masters summoned seven Servants to partake in a battle royale to the death where only one Master-Servant team could receive the prize. Upon the deaths of the other Servants, the Holy Grail, not the true cup of Christ but rather a convincing manmade copy, would manifest, and the Master and Servant would have their heart's desires granted to them as their prize for victory, for the nigh-omnipotent device was built to serve this very purpose by three families of Mages called the Tohsaka, Einzbern, and Makiri (now Matou)._

_He chuckled. 'How blind they had been,' he thought to himself, 'but I suppose no one suspected a diabolus-ex-machina to arrive on the scene, quite literally at that.'_

_Unknown to all participating parties, the 'Holy' Grail they were fighting for was anything but. During the previous war sixty years beforehand, in the Third Holy Grail War, the irregular Servant called Avenger was summoned to battle. Known as Angra Mainyu, the Persian God of Darkness, in myth, he was in reality just a mere human boy sacrificed to bear the sins of humanity so it could be free of guilt. Unbelievably weak, he was slaughtered early on and entered the Cup. However, the Grail, a device meant for the purpose of granting a single wish, be it good or ill, identified Avenger as not a Servant, but a human, and so tried to grant his desire._

_And so the weakling known as Avenger became Angra Mainyu, the Source of All Evil in the World, whose presence twisted the formerly pure Grail into a chalice of malice that would likewise twist any wish so that as much pain and suffering would be involved to fulfill it, before allowing Angra Mainyu itself to be summoned into the world to destroy it. It would not do so out of hatred or vengeance: Angra Mainyu the god and Avenger the Servant were created by the gods and humans for the purpose of killing them, the personification of the world's wish for a concrete form of all evil. All Angra Mainyu would do was fulfill their wish for death._

_Of course, even beings like that need entertainment. After sixty years of being stuck within the Grail, the existence called Angra Mainyu had looked upon the warriors who would fight in the Fourth Holy Grail War and decided, on a whim of fate, that some of them could be changed. Using a power akin to the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope, the god of evil had searched the multiverse for four replacements to serve as the new Lancer, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin, and used them instead. On a further whim of boredom, he found another candidate for the title of Avenger that he himself once had and summoned him as an independent Servant without a Master.  
_

_He also summoned a fake Servant out of some of his corruption as a test of sorts, but it got eaten by Avenger, so the less said about that, the better._

_It was also how he himself, Prometheus, came into contact with the Grail and ended up being AM's roommate, but again, that's a story for another day._

_However, once again, in the end, the Fourth Holy Grail War ended without a victor... or rather, the chosen victor decided to cheat the system. While six of the eight Servants summoned were slain and it was enough to manifest the Grail, the Master of Saber, the man called Kiritsugu Emiya, learned the awful truth behind it all. Refusing to use it and despite being cursed by AM, he forced his unknowing Servant to destroy the vessel, preventing AM from being reborn. And while AM caused a great fire that took hundreds of lives in vengeance, it still resulted in Kiritsugu surviving, one of the other dead Masters coming back to life, and the Berserker-class Servant and her (living) Noble Phantasm gaining human bodies to live on after the Grail's destruction._

_That should have been the end of it. The Grail would not be summoned for another sixty years. Kiritsugu Emiya, in his final years, set up traps to destroy the Fuyuki leylines and collapse the system of the Greater Grail, preventing another Grail War from happening within thirty to forty years of the end of the Fourth. The nightmare would be over at last._

_However, it was not the end. Due to the stockpiled energy of the fallen Servants not being used at the last War's climax, the time necessary for the Fifth Grail War to begin had been cut down to merely a ten-year wait._

_He opened his eyes._

_And the time was nigh._

_"At last, I'll be free of this godforsaken place," he muttered as he looked around. "and I'm gonna make damn sure I don't have to come back."_

**_Leaving so soon? It's going to be pretty lonely without any company._**

_Prometheus glanced upwards. "Don't you still have that Irisviel chick to talk to?" he asked to seemingly no one. Not that it mattered. Angra Mainyu more or less _was _this space after all. "I'm certain she has things to say."_

**_I wish, but she's dead and gone. I've got a memory replica of her, but that's only good for talking to others through, since I don't have a physical body._**

_Suddenly, a figure began to manifest in front of Prometheus' eyes, taking the form of a young woman of average height wearing a red and black dress. Her long hair as white as her skin, and red eyes stared into his own, lips curled into a knowing smirk that didn't seem quite right on her face._

_"Heh, well whatever," he replied, standing up and not at all surprised by his 'friend's' manifestation. "I take it you already chose the Servants being summoned?"_

_"Indeed. I've kept a few who were going to be summoned into this war, took maybe one or two from who should have been summoned in the last war, and the rest are my own choosing." Angra Mainyu replied in the woman's, Irisviel's, voice. "I think you'll like especially who I've prepared for you."_

_Yes, not only had there been sufficient energy to cut the time between Wars down to ten years, there had been enough leftover mana to summon_ fifteen _Servants instead of the normal seven._

_"Can't wait to see it for myself," Prometheus replied. "Though I need to get to the real world first though."_

_"Yes, yes. Your class is the "Ruler", after all." 'she' replied with a sigh. "Can't start without you anyways. By the way, do you have a plan?"_

_Prometheus sneered. For ten years he had been stuck in this place, and during that time he had used the Grail's so-called omnipotence to watch alternate versions of the Fifth Holy Grail War with his own eyes. He had observed the events, noted the dangerous ones, what to watch out for, what to exploit, and who to avoid pissing off._

_The image of one certain redhead destroying the Grail in at least five different timelines remained etched forever into his memory._

_"Yeah," he told her as he turned away. "I've got a plan, and nothing'll stop us."_

_"Events will be far different this time around, especially with so many Servants," Angra Mainyu reminded him, 'her' voice suddenly changing to be more masculine, and also eerily familiar. "Simply the knowledge of the other timelines could result in a new one being created here, and we can't predict every __possibility."_

_Prometheus turned back around. The person that greeted his gaze was only about his own height minus his helmet. A mess of long magenta hair flowed behind him, pale, almost sickly white skin visible where his clothing didn't cover. Said clothing was a white and gold restraining jacket, completely encapsulating his body and arms, leaving his white and gold pointed boots free to walk. Three massive black restrains with green locks in the center kept the jacket in place, with a similar black and green monocle covering his right eye. He had a handsome visage, but it was marred by the monocle and pale skin, and the visible left eye was completely black save for the red iris. One part of the hair hung over his face, somehow enhancing his image.  
_

_Still, Prometheus felt a massive level of hatred upon seeing this, and his grip upon his scythe tightened as he contemplated cutting AM down for daring to take _his _form. However, he reigned in that hate, collected it, saved it._

_"And yet some things never changed," came his retort, deceptively calm. "I'll do what needs to be done. I won't fuck up like that crazy priest and his 'medium-aware' Assassin did in that one timeline. He lost my respect when he started believing there are some higher powers at work who determine the way everything goes. I'm not an idiot who relies on the helplessness of the heroes to succeed; I_ make _things happen._"

_"...Very well. I'm counting on you Prometheus." Angra Mainyu said in that damn voice, that know-it-all smile on his face. "Do not fail me."_

_Memories of that particular line being uttered in his past life flashed through his mind, as well as what followed if he failed to deliver. He suppressed the shudder that threatened to rack his form, choosing to turn away. "Never intended to," Prometheus replied as his world became consumed in a flash of light. "I will win, no matter what happens, and I will take what's mine."_

_He disappeared, leaving Angra Mainyu alone. The Source of All The World's Evil stood there for a moment longer, then shifted to another form, that of a green-haired Man wearing a black suit and hat. He smiled, showing off his golden eyes._

_"And of course, **I** finally get what I want."_

* * *

_**Three Months Before the Holy Grail War (Fuyuki Church)**_

The man known as Kirei Kotomine, son of Risei Kotomine and priest of the Fuyuki Church, sat alone in his office after Sunday mass, indulging in a cup of tea before going out to eat tonight. His destination would be Fuyuki's Hongzhou Feast Hall, where he would indulge himself in his favorite dish: Mapo Tofu, the spiciest tofu in all of Fuyuki and the one that set his heart afire with desire.

Assuming of course, his heart was even capable of doing so.

The former Master of the Fourth War's Assassin hadn't change _too _much in the past ten years. He had allowed his hair to grow out into a long mullet, partly out of respect to his late father and partly because he couldn't be bothered to go back to his normal short hair. The lines along his face were a little more pronounced, and his one visible eye had lost some of the fire of his youth.

Of course, if one was to remove the priestly robes he wore, they would find his physical body was just as muscled and prepared as it had once been so long ago. And anyone who knew the him of the past would be pleased to note that he was just as capable, if not more so, than that even after a decade of peace. He had not slacked off his own personal training in the past years, and had instead spent them learning to fully harness the gifts he had been given in the course of the Fourth War.

It would have been such a tragedy to let such mighty abilities go to waste.

The sound of a ringing phone interrupted the peace and quiet, but instead of cursing the fact his precious food would be denied him for a little while longer, he answered the phone as any good person would: Pleasantly without a hint of annoyance.

"Hello?"

_"Kirei Kotomine," _came the voice on the other end. _"I trust you know who it is you are speaking to?"_

His brows furrowed slightly, but he answered neutrally enough. "...Well, if it is not the Vice-Director of the Mage's Association herself, Bartholomei Lorelei. To what do I owe the honor of this phone call?"

_"Cutting to the heart of the matter already?" _came her voice, now pleased, _"Straight to the point, I like that. Well then, I believe you will be pleased to know that this call is the very same one your father received not ten years prior to this."_

Kirei feigned confusion. "Really... I was under the impression that the next Holy Grail War would not be until after our time..."

_"Hmph, tell that to the Enforcer who just came into my office bearing Command Seals, of all things, on her hand," _came her sarcastic response, then it grew serious. _"I'm calling because I'm curious to know if either of the Tohsaka children under your watch have been seen with them."_

Now the confusion became genuine. A pause as Kirei thought back to the last time he had seen Rin and Sakura Tohsaka. "As of two weeks ago, no they have not. However, that does not eliminate the possibility that either, or both of them shall be chosen if what you are saying is true."

_"...Fine," _came the response. _"However, the fact that Command Seals are appearing means that the next Grail War is about to descend upon Fuyuki. As asked of me by the Holy Church, I must request that you serve as the impartial mediator of the War."_

"I shall if that is the Church's desire, but I was under the impression that a member of the Church itself would be chosen to participate as a Master in the War," Kirei replied. "If such a thing comes to pass, I assume that I should treat them as any other combatant?"

_"Exactly," _Lorelei answered. _"...though to be quite honest, I'm not entirely certain we should trust you alone there. The last War ended in a clusterfuck, after all. If it ends up like that again, no doubt the Grail system will be disassembled completely, no matter the objections."_

"Do not fear, Vice-Director," Kirei said with finality. "As the mediator, it is my duty to keep this War a secret from the public. I shall not fail."

_"...We'll see about that when this is all over," c_ame the reply. _"Continue to monitor everything. You'll know when all the Servants have been summoned."_

"What of the Enforcer chosen as a Master?" Kirei asked curiously. "She will need training to properly summon a Servant, as well as a relic."

_"We'll take care of that," _Lorelei responded irritably. _"She has already found a teacher in the form of two of your fellow Fourth War survivors. Don't concern yourself with it."_

"...As you wish."

The line went dead, no doubt from Lorelei's actions. Kirei reclined back into his chair, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

'Another Grail War already?' he thought to himself as he looked down at his right hand, currently covered by his sleeve. While there had been survivors of the previous War, only he knew of the full truth behind the Grail. The only other who did, the man that Kirei Kotomine would have considered a worthy opponent, was dead and had been for five years.

A burning pain interrupted his musing. Eyes widening, he watched almost spellbound as the back of his hand, still covered, suddenly erupted into a crimson light before dying off. Blinking for a second, he slowly moved the sleeve back, the sight before him enough to make him cover it once again. For a solid minute, his entire world seemed to stop, no stray thought wandering through his head as he replayed events in his mind, right to up to this point.

Pure coincidence? Chance this suddenly happened after speaking about it?

'Perhaps it is fate?' he wondered for a moment. 'Perhaps everything has been building up to this?'

A moment longer he sat there, then he pushed himself off his chair.

"It appears I will have to skip dinner tonight," he finally decided. "I have to prepare for the coming weeks."

Pulling back his sleeve slightly, he once again beheld the sight of the marks that had changed his life a decade ago.

Once more, the Command Seals of a Master shone upon his hand.

* * *

_**Two Months Before the Holy Grail War**_

It was a cold winter's day in Germany... actually, no, that would be putting it mildly; it was the harsh winter that would bring even the toughest men to their knees. The frigid temperatures, the deadly winds, and the constant danger of frostbite would put most out of commission within mere days. Even in the safety of the forest where there would theoretically be shelter, the dangers of wild animals such as wolves or bears who would not hesitate to devour human flesh if it meant surviving the same coldness laid at every corner.

This was the day that the homunculus Illyasviel von Einzbern was experiencing, being chased by ravenous wolves through the forest while carrying a stone slab with her.

To be fair, this wasn't exactly her fault: For the Einzbern, this was more or less a rite of passage. After so many years of losing the Holy Grail War (with the most recent defeat being the greatest sting of all), they would want nothing more than to earn a final victory and reclaim the fabled Third Magic, Heaven's Feel. To say that this was but the least they would do to succeed would be a gross understatement.

Ilya had her own reasons to fight this war though. Ever since her father and mother left her ten years ago, she had been waiting for their return like any good daughter would, and while she was aware she would most likely never see the latter again, at least not for a very long time, her father had promised he would return to her.

That had not happened. Her mother, Irisviel von Einzbern, had been brutally murdered and became the Holy Grail. Of course, that had been expected.

What had _not _been expected, however, was when Kiritsugu Emiya, her father, had ordered his Servant Saber destroy the Grail, dashing the hopes and dreams of the Einzberns. He could have personally punched them in the face and it would have been less insulting to their pride. And as a last 'screw you', he never even returned to the castle, opting to stay in Japan and adopt a son named Shirou.

It was this knowledge that Ilya had grown up with and had caused a deep seated sense of hatred within her. She hated Kiritsugu for breaking his promise to her and leaving her behind, her mother for dying (even if it was inevitable and necessary), and, most important of all, the boy called Shirou for stealing her father away from her. As such, she had one goal in mind.

Kill Shirou Emiya.

She knew that she wouldn't live long; even if she survived the Fifth War, she'd only have a year to live at best. Such was the curse of her unique birth as a homunculus. Still, that meant that all she had to do was win the Grail War. She would get the damn Grail and give it to the Einzberns, but not before she got what she wanted.

She suspected that Shirou would be a Master in this War. Odds were that her father taught him at least the basics of magecraft, and the fact that Avalon, the fabled scabbard of King Arthur, was missing meant it was still in Kiritsugu's possession.

No doubt, if her 'brother' was a Master, then his Servant would most certainly be the Saber-class Servant. To be precise, the spirit of Arturia Pendragon, whom she saw briefly before the Fourth War started.

Which led back to the present, with the young, pale-skinned homunculus in a tattered white dress running for her dear life from a pack of wolves holding a stone slab.

Under the threat of being eaten by wolves, she finally made it to her summoning circle, where she put down the catalyst and and began charging mana. The wolves intending to devour her hesitated, seeing her glow like a light bulb making them fearful for the instant she needed to perform the ritual.

Smirking, she began the incantation.

_"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate._

_Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)._

_Repeat every five times._

_Simply, shatter once filled._

――――_I announce._

_Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword._

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

_Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos._

_Thou, bound in the cage of madness. I am he who command those chains._

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!__"_

The circle exploded into a cloud of smoke, energy and light crackling around her. She grinned, waiting for her Servant to appear from within.

By Ilya's logic, if she wanted to defeat the spirit of one of humanity's greatest heroes summoned into the most powerful of the Servant classes, then logically she would have to summon an even greater hero summoned into the next most powerful class.

And so, she intended to summon the legendary demigod Heracles into the Berserker class, and in most other timelines, this would have been the case.

Unfortunately for her, this time, the denizen of the Holy Grail had judged that Heroic Spirit to be... lacking, and so had chosen another more worthy in its eyes.

The smoke completely cleared away, and she got a good look at her Servant. Immediately, she realized something was up. While it was true that most legends about Heroic Spirits were hardly 100% accurate to the real deal, she still felt as if she would be able to tell the great hero Heracles at a simple glance, something that told her that the being before her was the legendary demigod hero and son of Zeus.

She wasn't getting that vibe, which was her first clue that something had gone wrong.

The Servant before her was humanoid in appearance, with tanned red skin covered in dark markings all over like tattoos and short, spiky white hair. He appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties, and he was rather tall and well-muscled, though not to the point of being a 'hunk'. He was completely shirtless, wearing only ragged blue pants with red flame markings on them, and a golden sash that acted like a belt. Most curiously, his arms were covered in a strange gold-like metallic armor, as was his lower right leg minus the foot.

Most definitely _not _Heracles.

To her surprise, the warrior then knelt down in front of her. "I am the Servant Berserker," he said in strong voice, though it also sounded like he spent lots of time screaming as it sounded kind of scratchy. "Young girl, I ask of you, are you my Master?"

She blinked for a few seconds, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had used a catalyst to summon a Servant, yet got one that wasn't connected to it, and got a Berserker who _t__alked_, to boot. "Y-Yes, I am," she replied, then she got angry when she realized that now that she didn't get Heracles, she wouldn't be able to crush Onii-chan like she hoped to.

No offense to her Servant or anything, but no matter what abilities he had, it just wouldn't be the same as watching Heracles swat Shirou and his Servant like a fly with his sword.

Before she could say anything though, she was suddenly aware of the growling of wolves around her as they began to lose their fear of the unmoving figure before them. Suddenly, her anger evaporated into something more akin to fear as she glanced about at the very-hungry looking wolves.

The Servant who called himself 'Berserker' then raised his head, opening his eyes for the first time. Ilya's own eyes widened as she got a good look. They were completely white, both the sclera and pupils with the irises practically nonexistent. She would have called him blind, but she realized that the pupils were a slightly reddish shade that allowed her to see them, and he seemed almost amused by her surprised glance, something he wouldn't have noticed if he was deprived of sight.

However, there was something about his eyes that was... calming. For a moment, she almost felt like she was staring at her father when he smiled at her, that warm feeling of fatherly love and protection.

"Then our contract is complete," he said, then stood up proud and tall, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he gazed upon the pack. "And as your Servant, it is therefore my duty to protect you."

Without another word, he suddenly _vanished_. Ilya didn't have long to ponder his disappearance, because the sudden bark of a surprised wolf, quickly followed by something smashing and breaking against a tree, quickly answered that question.

She simply gawked as she heard and watched the blur that was her Servant tear apart the mighty hunters with his bare hands. Disbelief quickly gave way to admiration as he slaughtered each and every one of them without mercy, tearing their bodies apart from the sheer force of his blows or impact with trees, some of which literally snapped from the power behind the impacts.

Suddenly, she found herself not missing Heracles very much. If nothing else, her new Berserker was certainly fast and strong enough to likely match him. And he could talk!

'Just you wait, Onii-chan,' she thought darkly as the last of the wolves tried to flee from the scene, only to become hunted themselves by her new guardian. 'You're done for without a doubt now!'

* * *

_**One Month Before the Holy Grail War (Archibald Family Home)**_

Bazett Fraga McRemitz stood alongside her teacher, Lord El-Melloi the Second (also known to his personal friends and colleagues as Waver Velvet) in the basement of the Archibald Manor. Before them, two summoning circles specifically prepared for the ritual had been drawn out onto the ground, with their respective catalysts before them on the two altars: A pair of earrings engraved with a strange rune for herself, and the remnants of a red cape for her teacher.

The young, magenta-haired woman was ecstatic, to say the least, though she hid it well underneath a serious exterior. When the Command Seals had first appeared upon her hand, she had been sent to study under a survivor of the last War, Waver Velvet, in order to prepare herself to summon a Servant. When she had been informed by him of the details of the responsibility thrust upon her, he had then asked her if she wished to give up the Seals and go her own way. He willing admitted that there was a very good chance she could be crippled, potentially killed in this battle.

However, she had gone through with it, her reasoning being... somewhat childish, she had to admit even to herself. Ever since she was a child, she had been enamored with the legend of Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster and a legendary hero of Ireland, and had always wanted to save him from the tragic fate of his legend. Now, here she was, being granted a chance to fight in a War for a miracle, and thus the chance to fulfill her childhood dream had been thrust before her! She would win the Grail, and save Cu Chulainn from his tragic fate. Perhaps, even make his legend a little longer...

To her surprise, her teacher had not reacted with scorn or disappointment upon hearing this, but rather with... understanding.

"To save someone you admire from his tragic fate... I understand the feeling," he had said. "I too have a hero that I would give anything to save from his end, a chance to meet in person and talk to him again..."

She knew of who he spoke. She had been to several of his lectures, and had found herself astounded that the man before her became who he was with the aid of his Servant of the Fourth War, Iskandar, the King of Conquerors. As such, he could sympathize with her goal, and had decided to aid her, though he had been a hard task-maker, to the point of being almost insufferable.

However, to both of their shock, just one week prior to this, Command Seals appeared upon Lord El-Melloi II as well, marking him as a Master once again. That meant that the two of them would be ultimately opponents for this Grail War. It saddened Bazett greatly, for she had come to enjoy her time with Waver and his wife, Sola-Ui, another survivor of the Fourth War, and the idea of having to challenge one of them to a battle to the death just didn't sit well with her.

However, they didn't let that stop their training. If they faced each other on the battlefield in Fuyuki, then it would as equals and fellow magi. Until then though, they were still teacher and student, and so they continued her studies.

Now, here they both stood, ready to summon their personal heroes (for Waver, for the second time) into the material world. As one, the two of them held out their arms, the circles in front of them beginning to glow and crackle with power as they prepared to summon the Servants. As one, they spoke in incantation.

_"Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg._

_The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate._

_Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)._

_Repeat every five times._

_Simply, shatter once filled._

――――_I announce._

_Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword._

_In accordance with the resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer._

_Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead._

_You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"_

The circles exploded in a flash of light and smoke, forcing the two of them to cover their eyes as the area in front of them cleared. Suddenly, they were aware of the sound of steel being drawn and clashing. Opening their eyes, they beheld two shapes swinging away at each other in the smoke.

"Whoa, where the hell did you come from!?" This voice sounded slightly scratchy, as if the user yelled a lot, but it was still somewhat deep and had an Irish accent. Bazett instantly knew who it had to be.

"I know not who you are, but a friend you're clearly not!" This voice though... it was deep and sounded a bit ragged, as if the owner was old or just thirsty for water. Strangely enough, he had a pseudo-British accent as well. Bazett was no master of identifying legends by sound alone, but that did not sound like the voice she expected of someone like Iskandar.

Of course, the time to wonder that could come later. Instead, both she and Waver lifted their hands and activated their Command Seals, both yelling a single word: "STOP!"

The two shadows did just that, their weapons at each other's throats. Finally, the smoke cleared enough for them to be recognized.

Bazett's eyes were first upon the one she knew was her Servant. He was a tall, handsome man, lean but clearly muscled, as his ultramarine skintight bodysuit with silver lines and steel shoulderplates clearly showed off to anyone looking at him. He had short blue hair, though it was tied into a short, thin ponytail in the back. He had piercing red eyes that matched both the color and sharpness of the red spear in his hands. This was without a doubt Cu Chulainn, the Blue Spearman of the Wind.

She would have been lying if she said her heart hadn't start beating faster as she looked at him, or that there wasn't a blush that was fighting to break out on her face.

Quickly, she turned her gaze from him to the other Servant. Immediately, she realized that this was one she did not know. Waver had gone in great detail about describing his Rider to her during their time together, and even a blind man could tell this wasn't the same person he described.

The Servant before her was tall and muscular, much like Waver had described Iskandar, but that was where the similarities ended. His skin was dark and pale blue, covered in bone-like gauntlets, metal greaves, and boots. He had a black cloak around his hip which had some dark metal plating on it, while his chest was bare and had a glowing green scar on the right side. His hair was long and black that fell down past his shoulders. Finally, his face was covered with a white bone mask fashioned in the form of a mouthless skull, with the eyeholes carved in the form of a glare. His eyes were the worst part though: They were pupilless and a glowing amber. In his hands, he was wielding a pair of dual-scythes, small enough to be used with one hand each.

Basically, the Grim Reaper if he had a six-pack.

She was broken out of her revelry by Waver's voice. "Now then, if you would both be so kind as to put your weapons down, maybe we can act like civilized beings."

Bazett blinked for a moment, then added her input as well. "Do as he says... please."

The two Servants glanced at each other, then at the Command Seals, and back to each other. It was Lancer, for there was no other Cu Chulainn could be, who spoke first. "Pretty sure the cute one's my Master."

_This _time, Bazett blushed.

"As I know you can only be speaking of one of them," came the sarcastic reply of the other, "then the man is no doubt mine."

"Well then?"

A pause, then the Reaper Servant said, "On three, we lower our weapons as one."

"I'm good with that," came the agreement.

"...One... two... three."

On the magic number, both pulled their weapons back, Lancer making his spear vanish, and Reaper making his scythes fold up to hang on either side of his hips. They still watched each other with suspicion, but that was to be expected. Both Waver and Bazett breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, what are your classes?" came the inevitable question.

"I am Servant Lancer/Rider," came their equivalent responses. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Both Bazett and Waver slowly lifted their arms in reply. "Yes, I am."

The two nodded. "The contract is now complete," they said as one, then they glared at each other.

"So, what's the story behind this?" It was Lancer who asked that, though it was obvious that Rider was wondering the same question.

Before either Waver or Bazett could answer though, the door to the basement suddenly opened. Before either Servant could get the wrong idea though, a voice called down. "Honey, it's time for dinner! I'm certain Ms. McRemitz and your Servants will want something to eat tonight's over and done with!"

Waver sighed to himself. 'Thank you Sola-Ui, for your saving grace.' He then gestured towards the upstairs. "Shall we?"

After a brief pause, Bazett and Lancer went first, the two of them already managing to start up a conversation about their common Irish heritage. Waver lingered for a moment with his Servant, and a part of him felt... cheated, for a lack of a better term. He had been looking forward to fighting alongside his king once again, and now he had been denied that. He didn't blame his Servant of course; this warrior likely had just a good a reason to fight as Iskandar did... he just felt bad about not fighting alongside his king, even if he most likely wouldn't remember him, being a copy from the Throne of Heroes after all.

Briefly, he thought back to the Fourth War, where some of the Masters didn't get the Servants they were expecting, even when using a catalyst. Could something similar be happening again?

"Master," came the voice of his new Servant. "Is something troubling you?"

He couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way though. Regardless of whether or not he summoned Iskandar, he still had a Servant. His wish could still become true either way, and he had no right to treat his Servant any differently or as less than human.

Waver shook his head and gave his Servant an earnest smile. "No, nothing at all Rider. Let's go."

Rider seemed surprised by the kind reply, but then nodded.

"Haha! Beer!" came the shout of Lancer from up above. "It's official, I'm loving this world already!"

Waver rolled his eyes as he and Rider marched up the stairs to the dining room. The time for seriousness could wait. The time to enjoy oneself, to live out those last days of peace, was now.

'Do not fear, my king,' he thought resolutely to himself. 'I will win the Grail for your sake.'

_And if it is corrupt? _A part of his mind seemed to ask. After all, the last time something like this had happened was when the Grail had become nothing but a harbinger of destruction.

'...Then as my king's loyal retainer, I will destroy it personally.'

* * *

_**Two Weeks Before the Holy Grail War (Edelfelt Manor)**_

Luviagelita Edelfelt coughed as she got up from her collapsed position on the floor. Every since about two days ago when the Command Seals had appeared on her arm, she had been ecstatic almost day in and day out. Finally, for the first time since the Third War would the Edelfelts have the chance to win the Holy Grail War. She had spent the entire time between then and now researching the history and mechanics of the ritual and the results of the previous ones, and while most would see that as impossible, for someone which such high standards as herself it was but child's play. A battle between seven Master and seven legendary heroes would be truly something grand to participate in, and while she was painfully aware of the risks, she would go through with it regardless.

After all, it would also give her a chance to one-up the head of the Tohsaka family, her family's rivals for decades. They shared the same style of magic, and while her family was older, the Tohsakas had helped create the Holy Grail in the first place.

You can't beat an achievement like that.

She had also heard rumors that the Tohsaka head, Rin Tohsaka, was something of a prodigy, if a little maverick in her duties. She was expert at using _firearms_ of all things, and there were rumors of her contracting with some sort of demon to give her unbelievable power. She didn't know how much stock to put into this hearsay, but she did know that if she wanted to win against her perceived rival, she couldn't afford to bring anything less than her A-game to the table.

As such, she had gone all out in her preparations. She had decided that compatibility was more important than any chosen Servant, and as such had ruled out catalysts. To compensate for a potentially weaker Servant being summoned, she had prepared the magic circle with several Prana-infused jewels at key points, some of the best her family could afford, and had sat there for hours, charging the circle with her Prana and chanting all the while. The heir of the Edelfelt would settle for nothing less than the perfect Servant.

Now that the summoning had been completed, she opened her eyes and waited for the Servant to appear before her. Her eyes widened as she got a good look.

He was a knight, his entire body surrounded in black armor, the only break in the color being the blue plume that stuck out of the back of his helmet. He was extremely tall, and from the way he carried himself in full armor was no doubt strong as well. He carried no blade in his hand, though it could be simply because he didn't wish to show it yet.

Slowly, the knight knelt before her. "I am the Servant Defender," came the voice, and while it echoed within the helm she could tell it was actually rather pleasant to listen to. "I ask of you, are you my Master?"

Luvia slowly stood up, then showed her Command Seals. "I am." Sheer surprise stole most speech from her tongue, the fact that she had actually done it still going strong in her mind.

However, something he said suddenly registered.

"Wait... 'Defender'?" she repeated confused. "That's not one of the seven classes."

Her Servant seemed to look... embarrassed? It was hard to tell under that helmet. "I cannot answer that, milady," he answered. "All I know is what the Grail has told me, and it says I am a Defender-class Servant. Forgive me."

She blinked at that explanation, then slightly blushed when she realized he called her 'milady'. "N-No, it's fine!" she replied quickly, though her mind was racing. An irregular Servant? What would this mean for the Grail War?

"You've done nothing wrong. Although... this might seem strange, but... could you show me your face, if you could?"

A strange question to ask, but Luvia was the type of person who liked to look people in the eye when she was talking to them. Having a conversation with someone behind a mask was somewhat strange to her. It implied that there was a sense of mistrust and lying between the participants, and if they were going to win the Grail War, it would have to be with mutual trust in the other.

The Servant was silent for a moment, then stood up, lifting his hands to his head and removing his helmet. She beheld a handsome face with long black hair and black eyes, a face that would no doubt swoon most women and make many men look on with envy. However the handsomeness was ruined somewhat by the sadness and regret that seemed to mar his features. It was... sad, and Luvia actually found herself actually growing saddened somewhat from his visage.

Defender seemed to realize this and prepared to put the helm back on. "Forgive me if I-"

"No, no," Luvia told him. "Please, keep it off. It's fine... you're fine."

Defender blinked for a moment before smiling slightly, and though it was still sad, it did wonders for his features. "As you wish."

Luvia found her own spirits lifting slightly as well. She had no idea what would happen next, but she did know she had a Servant, and irregular or not, she was still going to win this War.

"Well... let's go then," she finally said, beckoning her Servant to follow. "I believe it's high time for dinner."

After all, first impressions were everything in building trust.

* * *

_**Same Time (Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament Headquarters)**_

Caren Hortensia, estranged daughter of Kirei Kotomine, blinked as she watched the smoke from the summoning circle dissipate, waiting to get a good view of her Servant. Ever since the Command Seals had appeared on her arm almost five years prior, she had spent her days training to prepare for this day, whenever she wasn't on missions for the Church.

Caren wasn't like her father. Unlike him, she hadn't been born with magic circuits, meaning that she would have no way to effectively provide a constant flow of mana to her Servant. As such, under normal circumstances, having a contract would barely be enough to keep her Servant anchored into this world, much less allow it to fight effectively or for long periods of time. Her chances of winning the War were potentially the lowest of all the participants.

However, that was what the years of training were for. Under the tutelage of one Shirou Kotomine, apparently related to her father by adoption and not by blood, she had found a way to get around that problem. She had managed to craft a special Mystic Code called the Sanrei Glove, which in and of itself was supposedly based off a similarly named artifact that her teacher had obtained by, to quote, "going through a whole bunch of favors, plus needing the aid of the Wizard Marshal himself".

Regardless, it was a black and white glove, with grey lines all over it, that extended up to her forearm that she wore on her left arm, stopping about two inches from her elbow. Not much to look at first, but once activated, it glowed with several magic runes that served the purpose of gathering and absorbing Mana from the surroundings to serve as fuel the purpose casting Magic. When she first got it though, it had served the purpose of repelling said energy, forcing her to get better at actually sensing and absorbing Mana from her surroundings before she could effectively use it. Once she got past that phase, she could activate the Glove at will, forcing it to absorb Mana and release it in the form of blasts of energy, or even forming weapons out of pure Prana briefly to attack. It was also very durable, and even if it was damaged, it could repair itself by absorbing energy from the environment.

Of course, its true purpose was to serve as the main source of energy for her Servant, and while it was useful to an extent, it still paled in comparison to what a true Magus could do. Then again, it was better than nothing, and she was more than capable of defending herself in combat.

Still, her efforts had paid off, and she managed to summon a Servant. She had been a piece of wood as a catalyst, being told by her teacher that it was fragment of the Round Table of Arthurian legend. However, while whoever it summoned would definitely be a Knight of the Round Table, it would also be the one most compatible with her.

A part of her briefly wondered what sort of Knight would be compatible with her at all. After all, she was a young girl whose mother had died and had abandoned by her father when she was a child for 'her own safety' she had been told, yet had still grown up resenting him for leaving regardless. In fact, it had been to the point that she had done her best to distance herself from anything associated with her father, including his line of work being a Church member. Despite that, she had still been recruited, due to her special... abilities, and had excelled as a member to the point there was talk of making her an Executor or some such thing. She hated the attention, especially when it was comparing her to her father, another prodigy.

In fact, the whole reason she had agreed to being the Church's representative in the War was because it would be a chance for her actually confront her father for the first time in almost thirteen years and put those comparisons behind her once and for all. She would win the Grail and do what her father failed to do, and finally put it all behind her.

Her teacher was under the impression that this was simply her way of coping with the fact that her father left her and never came back, and thus was a way to deal with that resentment and show him what she could do. A way of showing he was wrong to leave her behind, if you will. She would publicly deny such a thing though, claiming that she was above such desires to prove herself to someone that was never really around.

She brought herself out of her musing when the smoke fully cleared, and she blinked as she got a good look at her Servant.

The Servant in question was indeed a knight. It was clad in red, wearing silver plate armor complete with breastplate, spaulders, gauntlets and greaves. An intimidating helmet with upturned horns completely covered the warrior's head, masking any effort to figure out the Servant's identity. The Servant was also rather short, perhaps only slightly taller than herself with the armor on, but still emanated an imposing aura that made it seem bigger and more deadly. In its right hand it gripped an intricately carved silver sword, which matched the red and silver scabbard by its side.

The two stared at each for a moment, then, instinctively, the Servant knelt on one knee, as if it was a knight before a princess, and said:

"I am the Servant Avenger. I ask you, priestess, are you my Master?"

In response, Caren lifted her right hand, showing her Command Seals. "Yes, I am."

Avenger then lifted her (for the voice, though muffled, could be no other) head. "Then the contract is complete. I shall be your loyal sword 'till the end of our endeavours together."

She then turned around, noticing the wooden splinter on the altar behind her.

And suddenly swung her sword, shattering it with a single strike.

"Accursed thing!" she roared angrily, then stomped on what was left with the full weight of her armor. "Never would have I imagined myself being summoned by _this_!"

"...A little extreme, wouldn't you say?" Caren asked dryly. While she was surprised by the sudden change in her Servant's mood, she still found the almost childish rage she was showing almost... hilarious. Still, that had been a priceless relic that her teacher had given her to use. "That was kind of important."

Her Servant turned back to her, seemingly satisfied with her extermination of the wood. "Sorry," she said in a not very sorry-sounding voice. "I just have... issues with the Round Table."

Immediately, the gears began to turn inside Caren's head. She had just summoned a Knight of the Round Table, a title most would hold with pride. Yet this knight had just destroyed one of the remnants of that legendary artifacts with extreme prejudice, and had been insulted at the thought of being summoned by using it. Even if the Knights had ultimately split apart, to find one that actually hated it and what it stood for...

In an instant, Caren realized the identity of the crimson knight before her, for there was only one knight in the Arthurian legend that would have such reasons to hate a thing synonymous with one of mankind's greatest heroes.

"Avenger... you wouldn't happen to be... **Mordred**, would you?"

Her Servant seemed to pause at that question. For a long moment, the two of them stood silent, then Avenger sighed. The face-covering helm split apart and merged with her armor, revealing her face. It was that of a youthful person, with the sort of face that could be mistaken for a girl or a effeminate boy. Green eyes stared into Caren's own golden ones, and her blonde hair was tied into a bun/short ponytail.

"It is as you say," she replied, seemingly embarrassed at the fact that her identity was discovered by just that simple action, though she answered with a resolute tone. Her voice, now no longer muffled by the helm, was actually rather beautiful to listen to. "I am Mordred, the one true successor of the King of Knights, Arthur Pendragon. Are you surprised?"

"...It depends," she replied. "If you're referring to the fact that you're a girl..."

Suddenly, Avenger's face took on a deep scowl. "Don't say that again."

Caren smirked slightly. "Say what?" For some reason, she was actually enjoying her Servant's annoyance. It was a force of habit of hers, getting under others' skins.

Avenger seemed to realize that she was egging her on and took a deep breath, getting a hold on her raging emotions. Still, her voice came out as a chilling growl. "Call me a girl again, and I will not be able to restrain myself... Master."

The glint in her eyes bespoke of her killing intent. However, Caren was not one to be intimidated by anyone, even if said someone had the power and will to carry out said threat. "Very well. I will endeavor to remember that from now on. You have my word."

There was steel in that response. Avenger recognized it and actually smiled, despite the anger still evident in her. It would appear her Master wasn't one of the gutless ones, and for that, she was grateful.

"Then I shall forgive you. And do not ever raise this topic again for discussion again. Remember that."

"...Very well. As I was saying, it's not so much your... gender," Caren said, noticing how her Servant seemed to relax upon usage of the neutral word, "that surprises me as it is your age. You appear at best to be no older than myself, most likely younger, yet you are really the knight that led the rebellion against King Arthur and ended the kingdom of Camelot, ultimately fatally injuring him before sucumbing to your own mortal wound. It's... interesting, to say the least."

Avenger chuckled. "There is much about me you know nothing about, Master." A quick glance at the Sanrei Glove. "Though I suppose the same can be said about you to me."

Caren smiled slightly. "Then we have much to discuss, don't we?" She then held out her hand in a clear gesture of welcomeness. "As your Master, Caren Hortensia, let me be the first to welcome you to the modern world."

A twitch of the lips was Avenger's reply. She then took the offered hand, shaking it firmly.

Caren tried to avoid the thought that she could crush her bones like paper if she wanted to.

"I'm honored," Avenger replied, then suddenly looked a little awkward. "...So, what now?"

Caren glanced behind herself, looking at the clock over the door. "I believe supper is in order," she finally decided. "Hungry?"

"If you insist."

Caren didn't ponder the ramifications of summoning an irregular class as she and her Servant began to leave the room. After all, Avenger appeared in the Fourth War as well, so perhaps it was just becoming a tradition or some such thing.

No, what was on her mind was the fact that of all the Knights of the Round Table, apparently Mordred, the Knight of Treachery herself, was the one most compatible with her. Mordred had been the greatest and final villain of the Arthurian legends, the result of the infidelity between Arthur and his own sister, Morgan, who desired to become King and surpass her father, only to be rejected by the former and driven to madness at the belief that she would never be recognized fully.

Kind of like her, actually.

Caren stopped walking when she made that comparison. Avenger, of course not privy to her Master's thoughts, looked at her in confusion.

"Are you alright Master?"

Caren shook her head. "I'm fine Avenger... let's just keep going."

Either way, her hard work had paid off. She had a Servant, and now she was going to enter the Grail War.

Yet why did a part of her keep whispering that everything up to here had been the easy part?

* * *

**And that's the end of the first part of the prologue of Fate/stay Nightmare.**

**I kinda cut it short, I know, but it was starting to get a little long for my tastes. Unlike the first, which was just sort of floating on whatever I could think up of to mash with canon, and the second, which I quite literally wrote while running on nothing but imagination and hammering the ideas into a semi-coherent plot, this one I've actually created an outline of what I want to happen.**

**Don't worry though, I'll get up the next part soon enough, and now you've seen a few of the Servants that will be appearing in this war.**

**Kudos to anyone who can figure out who at least some of the them are! (I know that at least several are canon characters, -I'm gonna be the first to ever only replace some Servants while keeping the old as comparisons, because be damned if Lancer and Saber of Red weren't badass in canon- but still, I want your feedback.)**

**Also, some people are probably curious about the new Servant classes and what is required to be summoned in them. So, here you go (this idea was actually based off one Sakurada Kiritsugu, save for one Servant, so kudos!)**

**Defender: Servants who will put themselves in harm's way for the sake of others, or who swore to always be a loyal vassal to a leader no matter what. Even ones who break that oath are eligible, as long as they regret it.**

**Conqueror: Servants who, as the name suggests, were great conquerors in life. This can extend from actually building an empire, overthrowing a kingdom, to even earning great renown as a victor of many a battle and war. (Replaces Sage class, which was essentially a more frontline-Caster.)**

**Slayer: Servants who earned renown by slaying powerful beasts or even deities in their life.**

**Fallen: Servants who were never depicted as heroes in life, were once heroes before falling from grace, of a darker nature, and/or meant well but were ultimately seen as monster or abominations.**

**Rounding off the remaining fifteen Servants are the other four extra canon classes: Avenger, Beast, Saver, and Ruler.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys will enjoy my most recent (and hopefully biggest) endeavor into writing yet! May you all wait with anticipation!**

**Remember, review, favorite, and follow people! Look up my previous stories 'Fate: Zero Sanity' and 'Fate: OSG' for more background info, and if you want something just totally out there, look up my 'what-the-heck-was-the-author-thinking-when-he-wrote-this' story, 'Rainbow Dash's Five Nights at Freddy's'. (...I know, I thought the very same thing when I first started writing it.)**


	2. Gathering Storm Clouds

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the second part of the prologue of Fate/stay Nightmare! Just for reference, this chapter will likely cover the other Servant summonings I want to show for real (leaving some of them in the dark so we can have a bit of a surprise later), as well as leading up to the events that will result in Shirou, of course, summoning Saber.**

**Also, just to clarify some things: No, AM is _not _Yuuki Terumi. One of AM's powers is to take the form of those who hold some meaning to people he's met. In other words, the fact he can shift to Terumi's shape is proof that someone connected to him is being summoned.**

**As to why he took that form... honestly, he just thinks the suit's stylish as all heck. Terumi may be a total ass, but he knows how to dress.**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**One Week Before the Holy Grail War (OSG Headquarters)**_

Edgar Silverstein, head of the group of warriors known as _Ordinis Sancti Gladius_, the Order of the Holy Sword, and one of the major powers in this entire world, shook his hand to move some smoke out of his face. He had seen and done many things in his long life, some of which would be considered insane and/or impossible for any mere mortal to do (which was lucky for him, since he was in no way a mere mortal being).

Summoning an ancient hero from long past to fight in a War with other similar heroes and their summoners? That was a new one even for him, though he had been involved in such things before. Never as a direct player, of course.

He had been several levels of surprise when he had woke up that morning and found the red Command Seals that marked a Master glowing on his left hand, thus meaning he would play a role in the newest Holy Grail War. The chance for a miracle was right in front of his face.

He had been half-tempted to just chop his own arm off and burn it to be rid of them.

Extreme? Perhaps, but the ritual called the Holy Grail War had brought him and those he knew nothing but pain and suffering in all the time he had been alive. It was nothing but a trouble magnet, something that could bring out the worst in people just as it could bring out the best, and while he did have his own personal prayer to offer to the Grail, he had long ago gotten used to the fact that it was an unattainable dream that would be better remembered as one of the happiest times of his life, motivation to keep living each day.

It was only due to the fact he realized that the Grail would no doubt just choose some other poor sap that prevented him from doing that.

So, during the entire morning he had been cooped up in his room, he had (reluctantly) been drawing up a summoning circle, relying on memories of seeing them to fashion it out (and thanking God that he had a very good memory) and placing several Phozon crystals at key points to serve as power boosters of sorts. He had forgone a catalyst, choosing compatibility over power.

After he performed the ritual, smoke and light had obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing his Servant. Now that it had cleared though, he finally got a good look at the one who would be his partner.

The first thing that struck him was the clothing.

The figure in front of him was a young man, perhaps no older than he himself appeared. His attire was that of... honestly, it looked like something one from the desert would wear. A brown coat or cape with seemingly golden pieces of rope tying it around the collar covered the upper half of his body, though it split near the chest area to show his lean and powerful muscles to the world. On his arms, which were untouched by the cloth to allow free movement, were a pair of purple bands that went from the wrist to just below his elbows, with a similar band around his waist like a belt for his white baggy pants, which ended about knee length. The rest of his legs and feet were seemingly covered by black stockings, and upon his feet were a pair of golden slip-on shoes. Atop his head was a brown turban that matched his coat, with a golden feather thrust into it like some sort of trickster. At the right side of his waist was blue and gold scabbard for a knife, which was thrust within but covered by his coat so he couldn't make out the details.

Aside from that, he quickly made other observations. Again, his form was lean but all muscle, proof that he had done quite a bit of work during life; however, his facial features were like those of royalty, handsome and eye-catching with mid-length, somewhat spiky blond hair that combined just the right amounts of nobility and rebellion. Completing the picture, his eyes were a deep amethyst that would swoon most ladies, though seemed to hold a great amount of sadness and knowledge, eyes of one far older.

Still, what struck Edgar most was the sense of familiarness. It was faint, but looking at his Servant was almost nostalgic for some of the deepest memories he held dear in his heart. In fact, he would go so far to say that his Servant almost reminded him of-

"I am the Servant Beast," the young man suddenly stated, breaking Edgar's concentration. "I ask you, summoner, are you my Master?"

Blinking for a moment, and grateful for the fact that his Servant's voice had forced him back in command of himself, he lifted his left hand, showing his Command Seals. A part of him was still observing his Servant though, so he went about his actions methodically.

"I am," he replied simply.

"Then the contract is complete," he replied simply, his tone carefully neutral. "My blade is yours, and you may trust your fate to me from this point onwards." His voice was surprisingly deep, but the words themselves were intoned as if he was reciting a long-memorized oath. His words were also guarded, as if wary to trust him. Not surprising really, considering Edgar himself had no idea what his Servant was like anymore than vice-versa.

Edgar would have said something to try and break the ice he felt was building up in this conversation, but he was interrupted by the door behind him opening. Immediately, his Servant drew his weapon: A curved steel dagger with a golden-colored guard and pommel, blue grip, and a purple gemstone embedded in the pommel.

Realizing that this was about to get ugly, Edgar quickly moved directly between the door and Beast, reaching out with his hand and grabbing him by the arm to keep him from trying to murder whoever was coming in and turning his head to greet them. That person turned out to be Starrk, dressed his janitor get-up and blinking at the sight before him.

"...Was I... interrupting something... important?" He asked, his gaze on both of them.

"...No Starrk... nothing... nothing at all..." Edgar said slowly, then looked back at Beast, his eyes giving him a firm, though not forceful or unkind, look. "Beast... this is Starrk, Raymond Starrk. He's a good friend of mine. He's not a threat, so please lower your weapon."

The Servant looked between him and Starrk, as if gauging their reactions. However, he complied, sheathing his blade.

"Forgive me, Sir Starrk," he said slowly. "I acted... irrationally."

"...Um... apology accepted..." Starrk said from the hallway, "just curious, but wasn't there something you wanted to see me about, sir?"

Edgar blinked, remembering how he had asked Starrk to come to his room later earlier that morning when he found out about the Command Seals.

"Yes, there was," he quickly said, happy that he was on safer territory now. "I want you to pack your bags and get ready for a trip to Fuyuki City... actually, while you're at it, tell Lyn she's coming too."

Starrk seemed to glance between Edgar and Beast, his gears working overtime as he came to a conclusion. "...Should I tell Lyn to mark this as 'vacation time'?"

"You do that."

Starrk nodded as he took off his cap, giving Beast a brief glance as he did, and then shut the door. Edgar turned to look back at his Servant.

"Before you start pulling knives out every time someone enters a room with me unannounced," he began suddenly, "Just let it be known that I know everyone in this building. If I don't seem to react to someone barging in, chances are they're a friendly. Understand?"

Beast seemed to stare at him for a moment, then unexpectedly smirked. "Well, it appears that my Master is truly a competent one, if you can stare me in the eyes and say that without any trace of fear and yet no arrogance. A rare combination."

"...Is that supposed to be a long way of saying, 'Alright then.'?"

Beast rolled his eyes as he sighed. "If you want to put it that way, then yes. Perhaps our chances of cooperating are higher than I thought."

Edgar was surprised by the negative attitude his Servant was showing. "What's eating you? You don't trust me?"

"And you honestly can't say the same?" he replied, then seemed to flinch as if realizing what he was saying. "...Forgive me. I have... issues trusting others, particularly ones that in which our only truly common bond is seemingly the fact we're both after a wish-granting artifact. I believe trust should be earned and actions speak louder than words. Assuming we can get along... perhaps I'll stop being... what's the word?"

"An asshole?"

Beast just stared at him and sighed again. "Yes, an 'asshole,' Master," he replied without a hint of sarcasm, then muttered something under his breath. "Though I suppose quite a few people would agree with that assessment when I was alive..."

Edgar raised an eyebrow at that. "I understand the feeling..." he answered, causing Beast to look at him surprised. "Well, how about I give you the grand tour of the place?" he asked before Beast could say anything. "We're not heading to Fuyuki _quite _yet. Think of this as time for us to get to know each other better as partners. No time like the present, right?"_  
_

His Servant stared at him for a moment, as if trying to gauge whether or not there was any falsehood in his statement. Finding none, and apparently coming to the conclusion that he meant what he said, he nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Before they left the room though, Edgar remembered something important he needed to ask. Turning around, he tried to put this as delicately as he could.

"Um... this might seem a little awkward but... do you have a spare change of clothes? I mean, people are gonna stare if they see you walking down the halls in _that _kind of getup.

He glanced down at himself, then at Edgar's own clothes and seemed to get what he was going for, because he just shook his head. "No, but perhaps I should... modernize a little."

A quick call to Lyn, explanation, thirty minutes, and leaving the room for his privacy later, and Beast now sported a more conservative look. He was now wearing a black suit with a white undershirt, a pair of black pants and shoes, and even a black tophat. However, his tie was still the same color as his coat had been, and his hat had an identical feather to his original. But rather than detracting, it actually lent a sort of uniqueness, 'this is me' sort of feel to his assembly.

"Is this better?" Beast asked him as he adjusted his wrist cuffs. "A little formal perhaps, but I quite like it."

He tilted his head in contemplation. "Not half bad. Most men would kill to be able to pull such a look off. You'd be a ladykiller at the parties."

He chuckled. "I've been told that, though my heart already belongs to one." He then looked towards the door. "Shall we?"

Edgar was curious at that little tidbit, but decided not to press the issue. He opened the door, bowing and making a sweeping motion with his arm to allow his Servant to pass. Beast obliged, though he noticed how he seemed to roll his eyes at the action.

Well... Edgar supposed their partnership was off to a good start. Now was simply the matter of fighting and surviving against the other Master-Servant pairs in the Grail War. That, and finding a place to sleep.

'I wonder if I should just show up at the Emiya residence with everyone right behind me and ask for room and board,' he thought idly as they began their tour, 'Wonder how everyone would react?'

* * *

_**Five Days Before the Holy Grail War (Near Ryuudou Temple)**_

"So this is the keystone of this city's leylines... I must say, I'm impressed. I can almost _feel _the mana from here. Quite a good spot, wouldn't you say?"

The figure talking was dressed in a black business suit, though only an idiot would think he was just some random person trying to dress up fancy. He was tall, and the suit hid the fact he was actually skinnier than he appeared, though one could still see his muscles. He was handsome, but his skin also pale and sallow, almost unnaturally so like he had frostbite, and some beard stubble was visible on his lower face. He had long silver, almost white hair tied back in sort of a ponytail, and his icy blue eyes seemed to glow, especially in the night light. He also had a certain bearing, the likes of which only a king can emit.

His companion, on the other hand, did not answer, and would not have even if he still had the ability to. He seemed to stare unseeing, his eyes shining with an unnatural blue light, and his skin seemed to be the process of slow decomposition. Dried blood caked his mouth, a memory of his punishment when he had dared to insult and order his fellow around like some sort of dog. On his right hand, the symbol of the Command Seals still gleamed as they had in life.

The suited man seemed to realize that he wasn't going to get an answer and just shrugged. "I suppose I could have just killed you when I had the chance, but I still need a Prana source. Luckily, you work just as well as a member of my legion, and with the power source ahead of us, it should be more than enough to get us through the War."

He began to walk up the steps, his undead Master trailing behind him slowly like an obedient animal. Suddenly, he stopped when he felt a surge of Prana. Jumping back, he barely avoided the blast of blue energy that destroyed the steps he had just vacated.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave this place peacefully, Servant," a young female voice rang out in the night. "My Master has ordered me to take care of any who would intrude on his workshop, especially if they happen to be fellow competitors."

The white-haired man looked up towards the entrance of the temple. Standing there was a girl, perhaps in her teens, with long blond hair and piercing green eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless collared shirt which showed off her middle slightly, along with white gloves and a blue short skirt. Mid-thigh black stockings served the purpose of pants more or less, with a pair of blue and silver boots with gold zippers to complete it. What appeared to be two large holsters were crossed together behind her back, in which were a pair of silver handguns (though honestly, hand_cannons _would be a more accurate description). Completing the look, on opposite sides of her head were a pair of blue hairpieces.

It didn't take a genius to figure out she was a Servant, even without her earlier proclamation._  
_

...Although, had he not heard her voice or had she been wearing something that wasn't quite so... bold, he likely would have mistaken her for a very effeminate boy, and even the former could have been excused for puberty reasons.

'Well, I suppose it would be stupid to think that no one else had the same idea,' the man thought to himself, then decided that he might as well reveal his class, if only to get an idea of his opponent's abilities.

"I am Servant Conqueror," he told his opponent. "To whom am I speaking to?"

"I am Servant Slayer," came the girl's reply as she drew the two handguns slung on her back, twirling them as if they weighed nothing before resting her trigger fingers just shy of their destinations. "And I will give you 'till the count of three to leave before I end you, as per my Master's orders. One."

Conqueror was in a tight spot, and he hesitated on changing to his battle attire. He didn't doubt the fact he could probably crush her in a fight, or the fact he could probably tank her shots until he made it up to her. What he was afraid of was if she decided to target his Master while he was in the process of closing the distance.

"No negotiations?" he called up. "This seems rather extreme for a first meeting."

"Normally, I'd agree... if it wasn't for the chilling aura you emit or that your Master wasn't a zombie shambling behind you. I've seen people like you before, and I have no intentions of letting you near my own Master. Two..."

That beam of energy probably didn't come from just anywhere after all, and her guns had still been holstered, so she might have another power. Who wasn't to say another one wouldn't just blast his Master to pieces? And while he was certain he could still kill her before he ran out of Prana, there was still the account that this place was apparently the enemy's workshop now. Even for one such as himself, fighting a mage on his personal territory was a _somewhat_ risky endeavor, especially if they had time to prepare.

Of course, he wouldn't know for certain unless he tried. He tensed, preparing to shift to his battle armor.

"Thr-"

Suddenly, Slayer brought a hand, gun still in it, up to her head as if she was receiving orders, and whatever they were certainly contradicted with her previous claim if the expression of confusion on her face meant anything. She didn't say anything allowed, but her face went from confusion to surprise, fear, and finally resignation.

Conqueror had seen this song and dance before in his life, and so he knew exactly what she was about to say and had already relaxed when she placed her pistols away.

"Forgive me," she called down, not seeming to be very sorry, "but my Master would like to have a... word with you first."

Conqueror glanced back at his companion, who had not moved once. "Not to my Master?"

"To _you_," she emphasized, her tone and face making very clear she didn't like him one bit. Apparently, she could tell what he had done to the man behind him. But then again, he had that kind of effect on people when he was like this. "My Master can tell you are clearly the Master in your relationship and doesn't wish to talk through a pawn."

Conqueror grinned slightly, though he was still ready to fight if need be. "Very well then, let us be off."

He made his way up the stairwell without any more attacks meeting him and stopped in front of Slayer, who reluctantly stood aside, her face turned into an expression of righteous disgust, and just the hint of fear, at the condition of his Master, who shambled along like some dog, yet she held fast with her weapons. Conqueror passed by her without a word, though he made a mental note that if things went wrong, she would no doubt be one of the first to sign up to kill him.

"So then," he said as he got a good look at the temple, "where is your Master?"

"Over here."

Conqueror turned his head, watching as a figure walked towards them. He was young, perhaps 17 or 18, yet moved as one with purpose. He was wearing a long-sleeve dark purple jacket with red details over a black shirt, white jeans, and dark purple shoes. His long hair was a pale blue, styled into a spiky mullet with a long pair of bangs and a ponytail in the back. He had a handsome face, a sort of a 'bad boy' look which was heightened by the amused smirk on his features. His red eyes stared into Sage's own with an intensity that the Servant had only seen on a few beings in his long life, mostly the ones obsessed with revenge or some such thing. In his right hand, he held a long grey staff with a glowing blue light on the end.

He also had the air of one who was not to be trifled with and had the power to back up his threats. Conqueror immediately knew that this was a person to be treated with respect.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Servant Conqueror," the newcomer told him, then glanced towards his Master with an appraising eye, seemingly amused where his Servant was disgusted. "You'll forgive me if I don't offer the same greetings to your Master."

Conqueror chuckled at the memory. Apparently, his Master had been trying to summon someone named Medea, the Witch of Betrayal as a Caster-class Servant, and had been rather... displeased to instead get a Servant who not only belonged to an up-to-this-point unknown class but also was even the person he wanted to summon. Conqueror hadn't taken kindly to his Master's attitude and decided, for the good of their partnership, that they would have to reevaluate which of them was the true Master in their relationship... and wouldn't you know it, he decided that person should be himself.

Of course, considering his former Master's arrogant and sense of self-importance, Conqueror wouldn't have been surprised if someone with Medea's title didn't do away with him in a similar fashion to himself.

"I am honored," Conqueror replied, deciding to play along for now. "And I accept your apology. But more to the point, what is it that you want?"

The Master's condescending smirk changed to a more genuine grin. "Why, an alliance of course. You look to me like a powerful and agreeable Servant in need of a suitable base of operations in addition to a safe place to store your Master. I am a benevolent Master who has one of the most advantageous areas in the entire Grail War, but also needs more security and allies in order to cement this position permanently. It's literally as if an angel has answered both of our prayers."

"You seem rather eager to have me agree," Conqueror replied. "What's to stop me from walking out of here if so choose?"

"Nothing, honestly. However, I'm certain that you won't find a better deal anywhere else than here. Some are rather... reluctant to trust a Servant who turned his Master into a zombie, after all."

"True..." Conqueror weighed his options, then looked at the Master again. "What exactly do I get if I agree, and what do you want in return?"

"Room, board, food, and a safe place to rest at night. None of my Servants will attempt to harm you as long as you don't give them reason to, and you have free rein to tap into the leylines as long as you don't start putting people into comas. There'll be time for that later on. In exchange, I only ask that you fight alongside my Servants and myself."

Conqueror blinked. Did he just say...

"Yes, Servants with an 's', plural." the Master said as if it was an everyday thing. "Now, do you agree or not?"

Conqueror was silent for a moment longer, glancing around as if attempting to find the other Servant in the shadows. 'No doubt it's Assassin,' he thought to himself as he couldn't detect any sign of another Servant. '...But even it's not, pretty clever.'

He had deliberately waited until Conqueror was more or less in the center of his power before dropping that bombshell, which meant that even if he killed the Master right here and now, two Servants working together could still kill him, especially since they were right next to a leyline they could and no doubt were drawing upon in addition to their Master's reserves. As much as Conqueror might have been reluctant to admit, his opponent/potential ally had all the cards, and yet had made no move to use them, which meant he was being genuine about this offer.

And even if the Master was lying, Conqueror knew he was in no position to try and call his bluff, at least not without revealing his trump cards and potentially destroying this area. And if he did that, this venture would become meaningless and costful, leaving him in a worse position than earlier.

...Perhaps he should have planned this better. And yet, he couldn't help but feel some level of respect for the young man in front of him. He could be a valuable ally in the coming days.

He looked back into the young Master's eyes, who stared back with amusement and without fear.

"Perhaps. I prefer to know the names of those I'm dealing with after all."

The Master snorted. "Ah yes, where are my manners? You are a king after all. It's only right I should reveal my name to you."

A brief bow, strangely lacking any sort of sarcasm that Conqueror had expected. A part of Conqueror also wondered how on Earth he had discerned that about himself, but he was interrupted before he could ask.

"You may call me Albert," he said simply, "Albert P. Clover."

* * *

_**Four Days Before the Holy Grail War (Tohsaka Manor)**_

Rin and Sakura Tohsaka stood in front of the two summoning circles, each with gemstones placed at key intervals, they had erected in the basement of the Tohsaka estate, the later holding a spell book in front of the former, who was holding out both her hands towards the circles. In front of the left circle was their father's jewel pendant, while in front of the right was Rin's own silver cross.

Almost three months ago, their teacher, Kirei Kotomine, had informed them that the Fifth Holy Grail War would soon commence in Fuyuki, as Command Seals had begun to appear on potential Masters, and he had also asked them to inform him if any Seals appeared on either of them. As such, when the marks did appear on Rin's hand but a week ago, she had been prepared to do her duty as a mage of the Tohsaka family to join the battle, just as their father did ten years ago. Their mother had expressed worry about her joining, but she had brushed off those concerns, claiming it was expected of her as the head of the Tohsakas. She would fight, regardless of the danger, and nothing would stop her.

Then, but the next day, the Seals appeared on Sakura's hand as well. In other words, they would have to opponents on the battlefield.

That had stopped Rin in her tracks. She had nearly lost her sister once to the traditions of Magecraft, and she would not risk it again. She had been prepared to throw her rights as a Master away right then and there, honor of the Tohsaka be damned, if it meant that she wouldn't have to risk Sakura's life in the coming fight.

However, Sakura didn't desire to fight either. While she didn't reject the knowledge of her birthright as a Magus and even did have ability, she wanted no part of the War due to what it did to their honorary uncle, Kariya Matou, who died in the previous Grail War. And while she had no grudge towards his partners who survived in that War (was actually friends with them, to boot), she still wanted no part of the miracle.

Thus, they had reached a bit of a pickle, but Kirei Kotomine, like some sort of angel of mercy (though Rin would burst out laughing if anyone actually called him that) had offered a solution: Simply have Sakura give her Command Seals to Rin. He had then given them an altered summoning ritual sequence that would allow Sakura to provide Prana to the second Servant, but also leave the Command Seals in Rin's possession, thus ensuring Sakura's safety and giving the Tohsakas a big edge over the competition.

It had taken several days to set everything up and memorize the incantations that both of them would have to say, but it appeared to be paying off as the circles were glowing with light and gathering smoke. Rin had chosen the catalysts, choosing the cross to summon her own Servant and her father's pendant to summon the one that would be powered by Sakura. She was praying that the later would be the Saber class, though if the former gave her the Servant that gave her the cross ten years ago, that would just be icing on the victory cake.

_"...You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――!"_

Both of them finished the ritual at the same time, and both circles exploded outward, knocking both of them to the ground and causing books, glass, and even some furniture that wasn't nailed down to go flying about and crashing and breaking against the walls, floor and ceiling.

Rin raised her head, trying to blink the flash out of her eyes. "Did... Did it work?"

Sakura looked up as well, having the bright idea to shut her eyes before the summoning was complete, though her vision was still obscured by the smoke. "I can't tell exactly..."

Suddenly, their mother Aoi came flying down the steps, her face the picture of concern as she took in the wrecked basement before running over to the sisters. "Sakura! Rin! Are you both alright?" she asked as she helped them up.

"W-We're fine, mother, but..." Rin muttered as they got to their feet, looking over at the summoning circles. Blinking, she saw something that made her heart sink. Or rather, _didn't _see something.

The circles were empty.

"...looks like it failed," she finished before gritting her teeth. "Damn stupid fake Kotomine priest!" she muttered darkly as she looked like she was about kick something.

"Rin, don't insult Father Kirei," her mother chastised her. "He was willing to help you two after all."

"And it failed apparently!"

"...Umm, do you hear something?" Sakura asked all of a sudden. "Because I hear someone yelling above us."

Both Rin and Aoi stopped talking, looking at Sakura then listening themselves. At first, they didn't quite understand what she was talking about...

**"Hell's Fang!"**

Until they heard the explosion.

Quickly racing up the stairs, the three of them followed the sound of clashing blades and destroyed furniture to the living room, where they beheld the sight of two red-and-black blurs attacking each other with their weapons.

The one that was mostly on the defensive was wearing a long red overcoat over a strange black, leather-like body armor with silver highlights, black pants, and black steel-toed boots that had steel covering his ankles. He was tall, lean but muscled, had heavily tanned skin, white hair, and greyish-brown eyes, and was actually pretty good looking. In his hands, he was dual-wielding two Chinese swords called dao, one black and one white like yin and yang, and was doing a pretty good job of countering (or at least avoiding) his opponent's weapon. His face was currently twisted into a concentrated scowl.

He also looked kinda familiar to Rin and Sakura, but they ignored that feeling when they got a good look at his opponent.

The one that was mostly on the offensive was surprisingly similar in the fact he was tall, lean but muscled, white-haired, rather good-looking and wearing red and black, but that was about it. His skin was as pale as the moon in comparison to his opponent, his hair far spikier, and his eyes were different colors due to heterochromia: His right was a ruby red while his left was a emerald green. His attire consisted of a long black coat over which was a blood-red overcoat with two oversized belts belts adorning the mid-section and a black hakama that covered his legs, as well as black-and-red gloves and shoes. In his hands, he was swinging a giant sword which could be accurately described as a metal slab with a black and red handle, though he was also using his arms and legs to attack as well. Like his opponent, his face was also in a scowl, though it was more annoyed than anything else.

"Done flailing like an idiot yet?" The first of the two asked as he dodged another swing, attempting to strike with his black sword only to be blocked by the metal slab. "You're hurting the room better than me."

"Like hell!" his opponent snarled as he took a cut across his arm but ignored it, choosing instead to punch the tan one and send him crashing into the TV on the wall. "Just stay still for a second!"

The tan one got up and looked like he was just about to throw his weapon at the enemy's face, while said enemy looked like he was about to smash his fist straight through his skull. Of course, the answer of who would get the first shot off would remain forever unanswered when a very angry teenage girl's voice (which set off deja vu in both fighters for different reasons) roared out a single sentence, her Command Seals flashing red under the sheer strength of her emotion.

**"STOP FIGHTING RIGHT NOW, THE BOTH OF YOU!"**

As if struck by lightning, they both stood stock-still, completely unmoving like statues, even despite the fact that they both seemed to be struggling if the way they twitched every so often meant anything. Also, their weapons seemed to dissipate into Prana the moment her yell had finished against their will, if the way they glanced down at their hands dumbfounded was a clue.

However, it seemed their inability to move only extended to them being unable to make hostile moves against each other, because they seemed to have no problem turning their heads to look at the three women in the room.

"Well, that answers that question of why we appeared in the same room," the tan one finally said. "It would appear our Masters are already partners."

"Yeah, no shit," the pale one muttered, then he gave them all a questioning look. "But now the question is which ones _are_ our Masters?"

In answer, Rin held up her right arm, showing the two different Command Seals on either side, both already missing one of the marks. "That would be me," she said, allowing a small grin to pass onto her face at the sheer dumbfounded expressions on both of them. "I am Rin Tohsaka, and I am the Master of both of you. Now then, what are your classes?"

The tan one seemed to break out of his funk first, a small smirk appearing on his face as he muttered something too soft for anyone else to hear. "...Rin. Ah, that's the name..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing of importance," he replied smoothly, then stood up straight. "I am the Servant Archer."

The other white-haired Servant muttered something along the lines of, "Can't believe this bullshit... sounds just like Rabbit..." then shook his head and stood up straight as well. "I'm the Servant Saver."

"And now the contract is complete," they both said at the same time, the Seals on Rin's arms flashing brighter in response to their words.

After that, the two only now seemed to realize the mess they made of the living room. They also noticed how Rin's face, once satisfied, slowly grew more and more neutral as she gazed about the room, eyes narrowing and lips curling down slightly. Finally, her gaze landed on the TV that Archer had broken and just stayed there, and even Aoi and Sakura began to inch away from their daughter/sister when they realized what was about to happen.

"I'm... going to sweep the basement..." Sakura muttered as she walked off.

"I'll... be in the kitchen... making lunch..." Aoi slowly said as she exited the room.

And like that, Archer and Saver felt any chance of someone coming to their aid vanish.

"That... was a seventy-inch... plasma-widescreen TV," she said very calmly in a voice that could have cut them both down right then and there. "That... was a gift... from a person... who saved my life... when I was only... seven years old..."

They could almost see the demonic creature forming above Rin's head.

"And you two... just broke it..."

'...You know, my memory's not the best, but I don't think this ever happened last time...' Archer thought to himself as images of a giant titan wielding a sword and more or less cutting him in half filled his vision, and somehow he could not recall feeling the same levels of fear as right now.

For Saver, an image of pinkish lightning bolts filling his vision to the brim came to mind. 'Forget sounding like Rabbit, she's just like her but with black hair and blue eyes...'

...

From her position in the basement, Sakura winced as she heard the sound of an explosion and someone (male) yelling for help.

"Well," she sighed, "at least she didn't grab her gun..."

A glance towards the summoning circles showed the cross and pendant were gone. As if on cue, gunshots filled the air above them, followed by yells and swears.

Another sigh. "Well... they'll survive, at least..."

* * *

_**One Day Before the Holy Grail War (Fuyuki Church)**_

Kirei Kotomine sighed as he looked over the list of registered Masters and Servants for the Grail War. According to the list, he now had confirmed the summoning and registration of _thirteen _Servants, with ten different Masters, with two Masters being the summoners of _two _different Servants (though a part of him was pleased that one of them was Rin) and another Servant without an officially confirmed Master (being himself, though he couldn't go out and say that the impartial mediator of the War was in fact a combatant. That was would raise questions he didn't feel like answering.) Ironically, the one Servant that hadn't been summoned to his knowledge was one of the original seven classes and the one he had the most personal experience fighting with.

'All we need now is a Saber,' he thought to himself as he put the list down, rubbing his forehead as he felt something of a migraine coming on. 'Though I doubt that anything can really surprise me in this Grail War now.'

The current source of his headache was not the fact that he would have to mediate a War with double the number of participants than normal with himself as a secret fighter, that he would no doubt be run ragged by the effort he would have to put up to maintain a believable masquerade, or even the fact that it would no doubt eventually all blow up in his face and he could potentially have another trip with Death, this time a one-way ticket.

No, it was the fact that his daughter was one of the Masters.

He didn't know if he should be ashamed or not that he had never given his own flesh-and-blood a second thought in the entire decade that he had been in Fuyuki. Between the time he spent serving in the Church, doing priestly duties, teaching the Tohsaka sisters Magecraft, and his own training, the simple thought of how his daughter, a girl he had not seen in years and tried to blot out of his waking thoughts, was doing never crossed his mind.

He hadn't even been warned that she was a Master until he got a call ahead from the Church itself... about an hour before her plane arrived with her teacher who, to Kirei's shock, was not only an adoptive relative he had never before interacted with, but also was _another _Master to boot.

The resulting meeting about two hours later when they arrived at the Church to register themselves as participants went... well-enough... or as well as several estranged family members can interact after so long apart that they might as well be strangers...

**_{One Hour Before Present Time}_**

_Kirei stood at the ready at the altar near the back of the church, waiting for someone to come in. While the Church wasn't technically 'closed', it was the middle of noon on a Thursday, so the chances of anyone coming in for a quick prayer or confession were slim to none, even more so since he had no one scheduled for such a thing._

_No, the only chance anyone was coming in at this time was if they either intended to muck about in a church or were here to register for the secret war of magi and legendary heroes about to go on here. The former would be removed from the premises, with extreme prejudice if necessary, while the later would be greeted, registered, and sent on their merry way to prepare and wait for the remaining Servants to be summoned and registered for the Grail War to finally begin.  
_

_Normally, Kirei himself would be waiting in a back room until someone came in, sipping coffee or some such drink while reading a newspaper, perhaps amusing himself with these things called 'video games' that he never got into beforehand, but today was a little different from the usual._

_For today would be the day that he meet his daughter and adoptive brother face-to-face._

_The doors opened, spilling unfiltered sunlight into the unlit Church, the normal lighting off and with only the light coming through the windows to provide illumination. In the doorway, Kirei made out three different figures, though their features were masked by light. The tallest one entered first, with the smaller pair trailing behind._

_"Hello?" A male voice rang out. "Anyone home?"_

_That was his cue. Wandering out from behind the altar, Kirei made his way towards the group, his gaze taking in the appearance of each person._

_The first one to catch his attention was the one who had spoken. He appeared young, perhaps eighteen or so, with tan skin, white hair, grey eyes. He was clad in an Executor's outfit, complete with golden cross, though with the addition of a red cloak which Kirei realized was a Holy Shroud. His hair was also styled into a more streamlined and spiky version of Kirei's own mullet (Kirei made a mental note that almost every male member of their family had inherited the mullet when they came of age. It must be a thing that transcends genetics... or perhaps just coincidence.). This man, no doubt, was Shirou Kotomine.  
_

_The next one his gaze fell upon was his daughter's Servant. She was wearing a white t-shirt that barely showed off her midriff, over which was an open, red long-sleeved leather jacket, blue shorts that reached her knees, and black boots. To his surprise, he felt like he was staring once again at Kiritsugu Emiya's Servant, though her hair was done in a short, messy ponytail rather than a braided bun and lacked the ahoge; perhaps some relation? She stared at him with equal parts curiosity and wariness, as if she could sense there was more to him than meets the eye._

_Finally, his gaze fell upon his daughter, Caren, herself. She was about her Servant's height, only slightly taller and clad in church robes with a small black hat on her head. She definitely took after her mother, having both her long light grey hair and golden eyes, and even had similar bandages on her hands where they weren't covered by the robes. She was the spitting image of her mother._

_However, for a moment, all he saw was the child that had cried and begged for him to come back to her, only for him to keep walking, not even glancing back towards her. Right then and there, Kirei felt a long-buried emotion within himself make itself known: Regret._

_And yet he couldn't be entirely certain if what he was feeling right now was truly regret at leaving her and not being there, or regret that he didn't have a chance to watch her pain as she grew up._

_Caren seemed to notice his lingering gaze and looked straight at him, her eyes giving him the same deadpan/somewhat sarcastic expression he often wore around others, though he couldn't tell if it was merely an act: If it was, it was certainly a convincing one._

_Finally, he turned away his gaze, remaining professional throughout. "Welcome," he told them all, holding out his hand in greeting. "As the mediator of the Holy Grail War, it is a pleasure for both Masters of the Church to visit this place."_

_Shirou nodded, returning the handshake. "Thank you, and might I add, it's an honor to finally meet you, Kirei Kotomine."_

_Kirei kept his stoic demeanor up. "Likewise... Shirou Kotomine, wasn't it? I'm honestly rather shocked this is the first time we've ever spoken in such circumstances: I believe my father would have been delighted to introduce you to me in person, if he were still alive."_

_Shirou's face grew melancholy. "Yes... he did have very good things to say about you, I might add. I'm sorry for your loss, overdue as my condolences might be."_

_Kirei pulled his hand out of the handshake. "Don't mention it and likewise, but I have grieved and lived long enough in the memories of the past. Let us speak of the now." He turned his gaze towards the two girls, then back to Shirou. "...I don't see your Servant among these numbers."_

_"He is a Caster," Shirou told him simply with a slight smirk, "and also rather... prideful of himself. He does not deem this little meeting to be worth his time and is currently resting and planning to prepare for battle. He does not concern himself with the intricacies of the War, he is simply here to win the Grail, as with all the other Servants."_

_A strange coughing suddenly erupted from Caren's Servant, sounding suspiciously like "damn mage... arrogant asshole... no more worthy to be called 'king' than a bug..." before being elbowed by Caren herself, wearing a serene expression like nothing was wrong. It was enough to catch his attention again though, causing him to turn back towards his daughter, mouth open to say something._

_But no sound came out._

_Against all odds, Kirei actually found himself drawing a blank on how to greet the daughter he had never seen in 13 years._

_She seemed to notice his hesitation. "Yes, Father?"_

_The way she said that, not as a tone of endearment but rather as a simple denotation of his title as a priest, helped him get out of his funk. She obviously didn't consider him a father as of this point, and so logically it would be best to refer to her by name, rather than as 'daughter' or 'child', the later only if he was referring to her in a more biblical sense._

_He was thankful for that, honestly. He had no idea how to act like a proper father anyways as of this point._

_"...It's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Hortensia," he finally said, holding out his hand (a very neutral position to start with) towards her. "It's been... a long time."_

_"A pleasure," she repeated as she slowly shook his hand, her own mask of politeness holding strong. "But I suppose thirteen years is a long time to most."_

_Awkward silence ensured. Shirou and the Servant just sort of looked on with expressions of worry at what might erupt and slight amusement at their actions._

_"...Well then," Kirei finally said to break the ice (God, he was bad at things like this when he wasn't trying to actively screw with people). "Shall I see your Command Seals?"_

_Seemingly glad that was over and done with, Caren and Shirou lifted their right hands, revealing the red glow of Command Seals. Caren's, unknown to him, resembled the symbol on the front of her Servant's unsummoned armor: A 'M' fashioned in the basic form of a 'V' with the end parts hanging down at an angle, over which was a downwards curve of six red dots, three on each side of the 'M', and finally with an angled semicircle over that. Shirou's, on the other hand, resembled a cross: Specifically, it was a cross with three horizontal crossbeams, with the one at the 'bottom' slanted with the right (if one stood in front of it facing outwards) side upwards. The ends of each crossbeam, as well as the top and bottom of the cross, were decorated with some display of lines._

_He nodded, putting on an enigmatic smile as he did so, then turned to Caren's Servant. "And I suppose then that she is your Servant?" he asked his daughter._

_Caren nodded. "Avenger is my Servant and partner for this War. And we have every intention of being the last ones standing when all is said and done."_

_Avenger grinned slightly, if somewhat grimly, at that statement. However, there was no mistaking the fire and determination in either of their eyes. They would see this War through to the end, no matter what._

_Kirei actually found himself suppressing a smile. Despite having no right to call himself a 'father', he still felt the pride any father would and should feel to see such a display of confidence in his child._

_"Your confidence is indeed inspiring, my child," he replied instead, then turned his attention towards Shirou. "Though I must admit I'm surprised that you would both go through the trouble of visiting the supervisor just to declare your presence. Is there anything else you wanted?"_

_"Nothing in particular, aside from what Servants have been summoned already," Shirou replied. "You might be the supervisor, but even information like that is free to give out, isn't it?"_

_'Ah, time 'till the War begins, eh?' he thought to himself, then nodded. "Very well. Of the Servants, the only one that hasn't been summoned yet is the Saber class. Once it is summoned, the fourteen Servants will begin the Fifth Holy Grail War."_

_The three others blinked. "Did you just say... fourteen?" Caren asked._

_"Indeed," Kirei replied. "In addition to the normal seven classes and Avenger," he gestured towards her Servant, "there are also the new classes of Beast, Saver, Defender, Conqueror, Slayer, and Fallen. Apparently, the Holy Grail intends to ensure there is a definite winner this time around, one way or another, assuming the standard rules for summoning the Grail are still in place."_

_The three looked at each other, each of their faces different from the news. Shirou seemed concerned at this change in the rules, apparently not figuring this into his plans. Avenger looked somewhat worried, but most of it was buried under a rapidly growing bloodthirsty grin, apparently eager at the prospect of so many potential opponents. Caren had the most level expression of them, quickly masking her true feelings under a veil of calmness, just one thing she had inherited from him, he supposed._

_"Thank you for your time, Father," she told him as she spun around on her heel and prepared to leave, surprising both Shirou and Avenger with the suddenness of her action. "But now that we have what we needed to know, I believe we should be going now."_

_"Very well," Kirei replied with a brief bow as Shirou and Avenger followed her. "I wish you all luck in the coming battles... and it was a pleasure to see you again, Caren."_

_That time, he let the first true sense of emotion into his words aside from careful indifference: Joy. Not the type of joy he got from watching others suffer or even occasionally helping them through it. Joy in the sense that he was, in some deep recess of his soul, happy and proud of his daughter, in both the person she had become in his absence and the much-better-off person she was than she could have been under him._

_That was enough to stop Caren right before she passed through the doors. For a moment, it looked like she was internally struggling with the idea of turning around and answering, but instead, she simply kept walking._

_Though Kirei noticed it was slower than earlier._

**_Present Time_**

'Should I really attempt to get close to her?' he wondered for the upteempth time since that conversation. 'Her actions _seem _to indicate she'd be willing to reconcile, but is that really the best thing for either of us?"

He was, after all, a person who found joy in other's sufferings, be it simply watching it or actively causing it, and while he could find joy in other things, there was still no denying the fact he was a deeply flawed person. Did someone like him deserve to try and bond with his child, especially after all this time?

But then there was the fact he had been willing to give her away for her own safety, and also that she was one of the few beings whose crying or suffering never brought him joy, only sorrow at the fact that no matter what he tried, he couldn't change himself. Perhaps that made up for it?

He shook his head. 'Perhaps I'm just reading too deeply into this,' he thought. 'Maybe I should give it a try before judging... but what do normal fathers and their teenage daughters do on a daily basis for 'bonding'?"

He began wondering if he should get some ideas from Aoi Tohsaka before a knock at the door of his study interrupted him. Jolted out of his thoughts, he realized there could only be one other person here at the Church right now. Still...

"Yes?" he called out.

"It's me," came the muffled reply.

Kirei relaxed at the familiar voice. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing a most curious person. He appeared to be about 14 or 15 years old, with many black tufts of hair and hazel eyes. Strangely enough, he seemed to fit the bill of some sort of Greek hero, as his outfit consisted of a black tunic decorated with purple and gold hems on the bottom, fastened on his shoulder by a single gold pin with an ameryst-like gem embedded on it. He wore the outfit with a purple belt that had gold lining the edges with a triangular-gold buckle on his waist, black tights underneath it, gold-and-black cuffs on his wrists, a gold bracelet on his upper right arm and a gold ring on his right thigh, along with black sandals decorated with crossing black bands and grey fur or wool on the top edges. Atop his head, he wore a golden laurel crown.

His most striking feature however, was the pair of shadowy teal angel wings on his back, though they seemed a little small to support his weight if he tried to fly. Combined with his attire and appearance, he was the image of what most people saw as a 'fallen angel'.

Rather fitting therefore, that his class was that of the Fallen.

"Well?"

"I followed your daughter and her friends," he replied briskly, arms crossed and a somewhat bored expression on his face. "They're apparently staying in the Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel for the duration of the War, at least for now."

Kirei nodded. He remembered that the hotel had been rebuilt after Kiritsugu Emiya's ultimately futile effort to kill the Master of the Fourth War's Caster by blowing it up. In fact, it had been cleared for opening perhaps just a few months earlier.

"They didn't see you, did they?"

"I stayed far enough away that I could watch them, and I didn't trip any traps around the hotel," Fallen answered while rolling his eyes. "I know how to do a spy mission. I'm not dumb."

Kirei rubbed his chin, then nodded. "Thank you, Fallen. Continue monitoring the hotel and them. Make sure you're not seen."

Fallen rolled his eyes again as he prepared to leave through the door again. "Alright, alright," he said wearily. "Sheesh, you're one paranoid dad, you know that? Want me to interfere with any of her Servant's fights while I'm at it?"

"Only if she seems in danger of losing," Kirei replied. "And if you do and you're forced to reveal yourself, do not give me away as your Master."

Fallen stopped at the entrance, turning around to look at Kirei with a critical eye. "...You realize I was being sarcastic, right?"

"Yes," he answered without missing a beat. "But it's something that'll keep you busy."

Fallen sighed as he vanished into thin air. "Fine. I would say you're a stalker, but since it's your daughter, I'll let it slide."

Kirei sighed himself as he disappeared. His Servant had a bit of an attitude problem and didn't like taking orders, but he was workable as long as he had something to do, especially if it came with the prospect of fighting.

"All I can do now is wait," he said aloud, then looked down at a piece of paper on his desk, tentatively labeled 'Father-Daughter Activities'. "Now, what do teenage girls these days like to do?"

His mind drew a blank.

"...This is going to take some work."

* * *

_**Homurahara Academy (Several Hours Later)**_

"Valenzuela-san!"

Noel blinked for a moment at the sound of her name, turning her head to see Issei Ryuudou, the student body president, coming towards her. School had just been declared finished for the day, and she was standing in front of the Academy's doors waiting for her friend to finish whatever final task he had been doing before they could leave for home. She was eager to change out of her school uniform and get back to her more comfortable clothing, but there were things that had to be done first.

"Yes, Ryuudou-san?" she asked him as he finally stopped in front of her, giving him a small smile. "It's good to see you today."

"Thank you, and likewise," he replied. "Actually though, I'm here to pass along a message from Emiya."

Noel blinked and then sighed. Of course it had to be about the person she was waiting on. "Let me guess: He's fixing some things and it's gonna take him awhile, isn't it?"

Issei chuckled slightly. "Hit it right on the head," he confirmed for her. "I tried to tell him he didn't have to do it all today, but he insisted that I give him a list and told me to not worry about it. He asked me to tell you you can go on home."

Noel resisted the urge to facepalm. Sometimes, Shirou's helpfulness was borderline grating. He would happily take time out of whatever he was doing if he thought he could help someone in need, even if his own business was important, and while he had gotten better about it in the past two years she'd known him, it was still annoying.

'Suppose some things never change, huh?'

Still, it wouldn't do to take her frustration out on the messenger. Instead, Noel forced a smile and nodded to Issei. "Thank you, Ryuudou-san. I'll be going then."

Issei nodded in return, then started to make his way down the steps to leave. "By the way," he called as he did so, "sorry about this."

She shook her head. "It's alright," she called back. "Have a good day!"

No, she couldn't be mad at Issei. As one of Shirou's, and by extension her, friends, she didn't have the right to take her frustration at someone else out on him. In fact, she would actually consider herself proud that she was apparently the one girl his age with whom he would actually trust with any sort of secret and was comfortable being casual around, which is more than could be said for Rin or even Sakura.

The sudden thought of the sisters brought a frown to her face and the reason she was more than a little annoyed/worried about Shirou staying by himself at the school back to mind. For the past several weeks, there had been some... strange happenings occurring around Fuyuki, a sense of tension in the air, but only truly starting when that transfer student Luvia arrived about a week and a half ago. She and Rin had immediately started some sort of rivalry, not hesitating to throw thinly-veiled insults at each other and even occasionally almost coming to blows in areas of the school where there were no witnesses, yet also seeing each other with a sort of grudging respect.

Then, just three days or so ago, Rin and Sakura had grown strangely distant and less talkative, the former moreso than the later, something only those close to them, such as Shirou and herself, had noticed. However, they always danced around the issue whenever it was brought up, more often than not by herself than Shirou, saying it was nothing or just stress. In addition, Rin seemed to sometimes stare off into space and scowl at certain times, even going so far as to whisper into thin air when she thought no one was watching (Noel, of course, had noticed). This sudden change in demeanor seemed to even spread to Rin and Luvia's rivalry, as they seemed to trade out as they went from two about to come to blows to simply insulting each other's manners and their heritage, though the undercurrent of respect seemed to have improved on Luvia's side, as if Rin's new actions were something she actually felt some respect for.

Issei had also admitted some... strange persons had recently made their home up at the temple, apparently just for a few days. There was a girl who he admitted sort of look like a younger, green-eyed, pale-skinned and golden-haired version of herself, two young men, and even more recently a silver-haired middle-aged man. They hadn't done anything to warrant being confronted and were actually rather polite when spoken to, but they spent most of their time indoors save for the girl and didn't like meeting visitors.

Then there was the whole 'people-passing-out-and-going-to-the-hospital' thing that had started to happen over the past several days. It wasn't much, a person here, maybe a small group there, but it had been happening constantly, to which the so-far consensus was 'gas leaks'.

Finally, she had received a phone call from Edgar himself that he and some members of OSG would be coming down for a few days, and had asked for recommendations for potential staying spots. That had raised some alarm bells, because she sincerely doubted that they had chosen to come here simply out of a desire for a change of scenery. She might have expected it if only one or even two were coming, but _four_? That pushed her willing suspension of disbelief.

All this, combined with the air of tension that had settled around the city and only got stronger with each day, was enough to make Noel at least a _little _concerned about things, and she wasn't the only one. Maka and Soul had been on edge for the past few days as well, and even Maiya and Taiga, the latter only to an extent, seemed to go about their business with a little less humor and happiness than usual. Even Shirou seemed to sense it, as he spent more and more time in his workshop working with stuff in his free time.

She likened it to a time bomb whose digital timer was broken so no one could see how much time was left.

She looked back at the school as she reached the gates, imagining Shirou huddled over an appliance, using his magic to analyze it and find out what was wrong.

"Be safe, Shirou," she whispered before walking away. She would have some explaining to do tonight.

Still, what was the worst that could happen? Shirou was far more capable of handling himself than most people his age, or even that of people twice that. What could possibly happen that he couldn't handle?

* * *

_**Homurahara Academy (Nighttime)**_

Seventeen year-old Shirou Emiya sighed to himself as he walked down the now empty halls of the school, looking out the windows to see that it was currently nighttime. He had just completed fixing the last of the broken appliances in the school, an AC, and was now walking towards the exit with his toolbox in his left hand and crossed-out list in the right.

"Darn, that took longer than I expected," he muttered, noticing that not even the sun was up anymore. "but at least I'm done."

He supposed it was partly his own fault though. Whenever he started fixing something, his mind tended to wander, and he would sometimes finish without even noticing he was done. His thoughts had been occupied this time around with the new transfer student and Rin's change in behavior, almost as if she was trying to avoid people. Combined with the strange tension in the air recently, he didn't feel like he should write it off as simple paranoia. There was something happening, and he didn't like it.

Also, there was the matter of that little white-haired girl who called him 'Onii-chan' and said he'd better hurry up and summon 'it' before he died. That was something weird that had happened about a day ago, but he didn't tell anyone. He was certain it had something to do with everything happening these days, but he didn't know what exactly and decided not to burden anyone with it if it meant nothing.

"Well, better be heading back," he sighed again as he neared the exit, taking a moment to throw the list away into a trash can and then going towards the janitor's closet to put the tools up, using the spare key the old man had given him in gratitude for saving him so much trouble in fixing stuff. "Maiya's probably working late tonight until morning though, so the only ones home should be Lambda, and maybe Maka and Soul if they're still staying there."

However, as he locked the door behind him and started towards the exit again, he was interrupted by unusual sounds. Specifically, the sounds of impacts, of steel meeting steel in a continuous cacophony of noise, as well as the crunching sound of stone being pulverized. Strangely, it seemed to be coming from... above him?

"What the-" he muttered as a shiver of dread, the fear of the unknown, flowed down his spine. Yet despite that, curiosity at what the source was drove him on, quietly inching towards the entrance of the school. A part of him wanted to write it off as some hooligans that were trying to deface the school, yet what sort of thugs swung metal bars or whatever so fast and with such force?

His hand reached unconsciously for the small knife he kept holstered on his leg, a gift from Maiya for his last birthday. Unstrapping it, he clutched it in his right hand, feeling more secure at the solid grip he had on it, yet hoping he wouldn't have to resort to using it. Still, he wished he had his preferred weapon with him, but that wasn't the sort of thing you could bring into a school on a casual basis concealed. And while he did have a more... temporary solution, he wasn't good enough at Projecting yet unless he was holding the original in his other hand.

He made it to the exit door, stopping for a moment to prepare himself and to silence any last doubts. Now, he could hear another pair of source of clanging metal, this one much closer. Taking a calming breath, he slowly opened the door and walked out, trying his best remain undetected as he got closer to the noises. From the sound of it, the one closer to him was near the right of the school building in the courtyard while the other one was in fact happening on the roof.

Immediately, he banished the thought of hooligans from his mind, knowing the only way any could have gotten on the roof would be either by way of using another roof to jump to it (which was stupid for thugs, even drunken ones) or going through the school, and he hadn't heard any sound of a break-in. But then what was it?

Finally though, he got close enough to see what the source of the ground noise was to answer that question.

And the reality would remain etched into his memory forever.

Two warriors, one red with white and black swords, and another blue with a red spear, fought each other. It was an image straight out of one's fantasies as he watched them strike, block, parry, swing and fight with blows faster and stronger than anything he had ever seen, even among those he had called teachers. It was breathtaking as their arms swung like pistons as they smashed their weapons together again and again, their blows creating small shockwaves from the sheer force in them.

It was beyond (well, _almost _beyond. He had seen and heard things that defied explanation, only to be proven true.) anything he thought possible. A part of him realized that no doubt something similar between two other such warriors were occurring above them, but a larger part of himself was coming to the conclusion that whoever or whatever these beings were, it was something other than human. They seemed to radiate power in a strange way: Too great, too powerful, and too skilled to be so-called humans.

And the blue one, a lull in the fighting causing him to cast his gaze upon his surroundings, was now looking at him, his red eyes meeting golden ones with an expression that could only be described as annoyance at something interrupting his fight, and resignation at some strange duty he would rather not carry out.

"Tsk. A witness."

Shirou almost didn't hear that soft statement over the sounds of the other battle above them, but the way the warrior said that immediately made him connect 'witness' with 'victim'.

So Shirou did the only feasible thing he could think of. He ran.

* * *

**Oh Shirou, don't bother. We all know what's going to happen now. Next chapter, we'll get some backstory as to how this little fight got set up, and what will happen to poor Shirou afterwards.**

**And of course, Saber's return is nigh!**

**On a side note, what are the chances of Kirei Kotomine forming a connection with his daughter? ...It's a working progress, Kirei. Don't worry TOO much about it.**

**Wonder how many people can guess who some of the new Servants are correctly? I know I've yet to show Assassin or Caster, but don't worry, they'll appear! Also, I was inspired to use the Beast-class Servant here from reading _FateZero Hour _by King of Beasts, even if they aren't the same character. Look it up, it's awesome.**

**(Note: I know that if people do the math properly, there should be fifteen different Servants, but this chapter implies that they'll only be fourteen. There's a very simple reason for that: No one knows about the existence of the Ruler class quite yet, and Prometheus has no intentions of revealing it until later. Not even the Church was able to sense his summoning, convenient powers of the Grail helping out and all...)**

**Hope people liked this chapter! I'm going all out on this story!**

**Remember, keep reviewing, faving, and following people!**


	3. The Wheel of Fate is Turning

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare! At last, some real action!**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Homurahara Academy (Several Minutes Earlier)**_

Rin Tohsaka sighed to herself as she stared out across Fuyuki City from her vantage point along with Saver, taking a moment to appreciate the view. Homurahara Academy was unique in the fact that it laid at more or less the very heart of Miyama Town, the suburban area of Fuyuki, and served as the dividing line between the traditional Japanese houses district and the foreigner's houses district. As such, from their viewpoint, one could see both modernity and traditionality clash like two sides of the same coin.

Saver gazed with an expression somewhere between both boredom, interest, and melancholy, as if he was seeing something that he had seen before yet never really took the time to appreciate. Two days before they had come here with Archer for the purpose of mapping out the surroundings to prepare for the coming battle, yet the expression Saver had held then, identical with the one he had now, had made Rin curious.

A shrug was what she got when she asked him about it. "Nothing. Just reminds me of home... if home wasn't so high up, less crowded, and cleaner."

That answer hadn't satisfied her, but Rin found herself coming here every night since to just gaze at the nighttime sky and lights of the city. Archer himself had already gone around Fuyuki in spirit form mapping out his surroundings during the time she was in school, so it didn't really matter if she was wasting time.

Things had been interesting in the time the two Servants had joined the household. The two had adjusted rather well, all things considered, though Archer and Saver still didn't quite see eye-to-eye, with the latter often going out his way to avoid the former, muttering along the lines of, 'Damn bastard... annoying as hell is what he is...' He always seemed pissed off at something, and if he wasn't crashing on the couch or wandering around the city in spirit form with herself or Sakura, he was in the kitchen cooking up a meal, usually a meat dish. He was pretty damn good at it too, perhaps rivaling Shirou's cooking level.

Speaking of Shirou, he could be just as stubborn as him if he wanted to, though he also showed a surprising soft side in his more agreeable moments, which were usually when he was around Sakura or her mother. Heck, he seemed almost nostalgic at several points whenever he was around herself, though exactly why was lost on her at first until he gave in and told her about how she reminded him of one of his old... (she hesitated to say 'friend', so instead she went with) allies.

Archer, for his part, seemed almost amused with Saver's actions, but he respected his privacy. He was an enigma, if nothing else. He was sarcastic and seemed to love getting under her skin as often as possible, only stopping for real if Sakura asked him to (then again, she _was_ supposed to be his original Master, so maybe that had something to do with it). He often spent his time just observing the Manor as if familiarizing himself with it, and when he wasn't he could be found reading some book or preparing tea for everyone. There was something about his mannerisms and just general feel that gave her deja vu... almost as if she was looking at an older, tanned Shirou. He even occasionally worked in the kitchen, and she had to say his dishes were almost divine (strangely, it too reminded her a bit of Shirou... but she wrote that off as nostalgia).

Saver got a laugh out of it one time, saying, "Wow, a pigtailed high-class girl with an ever-present bulter. Deja vu."

That nearly got him shot again.

Still, there was definitely a current of respect between them, partly forged out of their initial clash and partly out of the suffering they had endured under her wrath on the first day. The memory of watching them duck under her gunshots kept bringing a smile to her face.

Still, they were nice to be around after you got used to them, and by the second day she was taking them into town with Sakura to see the sights and prepare for the War. She found Saver's attitude strangely welcome, and Archer was loyal, despite his sarcasm. They had grown on her and her family, to the point she didn't mind, and even encouraged, them to sit at the table to eat meals. They in turn actually seemed to like her, or at least tolerate her. They followed her requests, sometimes grumbling (mostly Saver), but always with an undercurrent of respect in every action they took.

She once swore she heard Saver mutter at the end of one of their conversations, "You're a real pain... but I guess that's part of your charm, huh?"

"You know," Saver said for the second since yesterday as they gazed across the horizon, back up against the stone, "I got the view down the first time. We don't need to keep coming up here. People'll wonder what 'Miss Perfect' keeps doing on school property."

"Shut up," Rin replied. "I just like the view. Can't I enjoy it?"

A sigh. "Whatever. You do what you want."

"...Funny," Rin began with just a hint of sarcasm, looking back at him with just the faintest of smirks. "I didn't hear you complaining when we came back yesterday. One might think you were enjoying this too."

An annoyed grunt. "Bite me, rabbit."

Rin rolled her eyes at his importune nickname for her. Normally, she would have snapped at him, but she had gotten used to the nickname after three days, especially after she learned that she reminded him of the original holder of that name. As a matter of fact, this little back-and-forth was more or less how most of their casual conversations went, interceding insults with half-assed comebacks.

She tolerated them, if only for the fact that the back-and-forths with the sarcastic Archer only left her angry and annoyed as heck. He seemed to know what her every button was and how hard to push, and it was aggravating. Her conversations with Saver were as much about relieving pent-up tension as they were watching his own angry retorts to her.

That might explain why she did this with Saver. It gave her at least several minutes of peace and quiet without Archer interrupting her.

Still, while silence once again descended on the pair, neither made any move to leave. Instead, they both watched as the last of the sun's rays went past the horizon, allowing the dark of night to pass over them. A few seconds later, the lights of the city came on, resembling giant, large-scale Christmas tree lights.

Rin liked it, personally. Something about the view made her feel calm, and calm was what she needed right now.

The tension that had been building for the past several days had, to her mind's eye, almost reached critical mass. All it needed now was a final spark to set off the gas being gathered. Even Saver and Archer had sensed it, if the way they had let off the grumbling and sarcasm to be replaced with calmness and determination, meant anything. She just wanted to spend the last few days of peace before the Holy Grail War enjoying herself.

And now, as she took one final breath, that peace would come to an end.

"Well," she said to seemingly no one in particular, "you came after all."

A lightning bolt striking the school wouldn't have shattered the calm as effectively.

With a rush of wind, a knight clad entirely in black armor with black smoke curling upwards from it suddenly appeared on top of the school, carrying a young lady around Rin's age in his arms. Her hair was long and golden blond, styled entirely into long coils with blue ribbons in it. She was roughly Rin's height and even had a similar build from what could be seen about her, since her blue and white dress did a good job of obscuring her figure. In terms of physical features, she bore more than just a passing resemblance to Rin herself, which might cause an observer to believe that she was some sort of relation, perhaps a distant cousin.

Well, it wouldn't be entirely inaccurate. There were rumors that a member of the Edelfelt had married into the Tohsaka line at some point in the past, but that fact was pushed to the side of Rin's brain as she watched the fellow Master get down from her position, her Servant even going so far as to lean down so she wouldn't have to drop.

"Thank you, Defender," the girl told her Servant, then turned her gaze back to Rin, the slightest of smirks playing across her features. "Well, you did extend a challenge after all. It would be rude of me to refuse such a direct action from the head of the Tohsaka. Protocol and all that."

"I suppose protocol therefore dictates we announce our names, Luviagelita Edelfelt?" Rin asked as she turned to fully face her opponent, Saver getting off the wall to stand by her protectively. She didn't spend much time wondering about the irregular Servant, she had already went through that treatment.

Luvia shrugged. "Yes, but is there any point? We've spent a good deal of the week getting acquainted before this." Defender assumed a similar stance as she spoke.

Saver snorted. "Acquainted my ass. You two looked like you were gonna start ripping each other's throats out and shooting spells, laws be damned. I'm surprised you had to bring us two into it."

"Shut up, Saver," Rin muttered. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

Luvia seemed slightly annoyed as well, but she just rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose we should get started then..." Before anyone could make a move, she then added, "But before we do, a question."

Rin paused. "What?"

"No doubt you're aware that the Servant Saber has yet to be summoned, and as such we are forbidden from fighting to the death until all the Servants have been readied," Luvia began as if listing off a long-memorized set of rules. "As such, I'd liked to clarify something: Are you challenging us to a fight to the death, or simply a test a strength?" A grin. "Your answer will decide how horribly my Servant crushes yours, after all."

Rin snorted almost identically to her Servant. "The later. We'll see whether you're good enough to stand as my so-called 'rival' in this War as you claim, Edelfelt." She then glanced between their respective Servants. "No pulling out Noble Phantasms or any flashy moves. Just a test of rivals."

Luvia's smirk returned. "All I needed to hear."

Saver cracked his neck. "Am I on now?"

"Yes, you are." Rin had to fight to keep the annoyance out of her tone. It wouldn't do her good to let Luvia see her arguing with him. "Show him who's boss and all that."

Saver simply grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "I will. Don't worry."

"Defender," Luvia said, "you heard Tohsaka-san. No going overboard."

"As you wish, milady." the knight said for the first time.

Rin and Luvia took several steps back, far enough that they could see each other and also stay out of the way of their Servants. The two warriors stared at each other for a moment, meeting the other's eyes, obscured or not.

Then they _moved._

Faster than their Masters' eyes could follow, the two Servants suddenly found themselves at the center of the rooftop: Saver with his fist extended for a punch while Defender's own hand having caught it before it could land. Defender responded with his own, only to receive a kick to the chest from Saver that forced some distance between them. Saver reengaged like a hungry tiger, and Defender met his charge.

The air between them was filled with the sound of punches and kicks colliding with, being blocked or parried by, and missing their opponent, battering away at each other like two boxers in a death-match, though even such a thing had nothing on this. Each blow was powerful, ramming into their opponent like a freight train only to be shrugged off like an annoying itch. What blows that missed cut through the air like a knife through warm butter and smashed into the stone roof, leaving craters at least an inch deep.

Luvia and Rin watched with amazement as their Servants fought. In the time they had been together with their respective warriors, simply conversing and interacting with on a daily basis, they had forgotten that the beings in question weren't normal people. They were Heroic Spirits, warriors who had become objects of legend and lore, beings on the level of the divine. To see two such legends fight each other, even if it was only a simple brawl without killing, was a sight both knew they would never forget.

For at a minute they fought like this, battering away like two great titans while their Masters looked on in barely disguised awe. Then, they disengaged, creating a space of about ten feet between themselves.

"You know," Saver said, panting just slightly, rubbing a bruise that Defender's fist colliding with his face had caused, "you're not half-bad, you tin bastard. Pretty damn fast for someone in full armor."

"And you hold up rather well for someone without said armor," Defender replied, hand briefly grazing a slightly dented part of his chest armor, the remnant of a particularly nasty kick. "A lesser Servant would have been incapacitated from such blows."

Saver smirked as his arm he held his arm out, summoning his massive white, black, and red meat-cleaver-zweihander sword. "Well, let's see you take this!"

With a roar, he closed the distance, swinging the mighty blade down. Defender moved to the side, dodging the strike and responding with a swift kick, which was blocked by Saver's arm. He quickly pulled the blade back up with one hand as a backhanded strike, causing Defender to get back.

Not far enough though. Saver grinned as his blade started glowing with a red-black energy, then charged Defender, stopping just in front of him before hopping into the air, striking with his sword over his shoulder. While Defender managed to avoid the blade itself, the dark energy suddenly manifested into the form of a pair of demonic claws striking in an uppercut, clawing across Defender's armor and and causing a shallow triple gash.

Defender's eyes widened behind his helmet as he moved back, hand on his chest as he attempted to analyze what he had just seen. 'Magic?' he wondered to himself. '...No, I didn't feel my Magic Resistance kick in, which should have happened even if it was a more potent spell, which means that it's something else.'

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the darkness that seemed to gather around Saver's right arm before it vanished. 'That Prana... it was different from what he was emitting before... almost... hungry.'

Regardless, he realized close combat was dangerous now, especially if he didn't want to get close to that black stuff again. If he wanted to hurt Saver, he would have to use something with range. His eyes scanned the rooftop, eventually stopping on a piece of metal pipe lying on the roof, no doubt leftovers from some sort of construction project. It would do for his purposes though.

Defender made the first move, rushing towards the pipe. The moment his fingers gripped the pipe he was swinging it at the the incoming sword, meeting it with a resounding clang. He watched as Saver's eyes widened in confusion at the intact metal before narrowing them and attempting to force it out of the way. Defender wrenched his importune weapon away and forced Saver back with a kick, getting some distance as he checked his weapon.

'Still intact,' he observed. 'Good.'

Saver narrowed his eyes as the pipe in Defender's hands changed from its original grey appearance to a blacken rod with red streaks all over it. Whatever he had done to it though, it had also increased its durability as it should have shattered from a blow half as strong as the last one he used.

'Looks like he caught on to Soul Eater' he thought grimly as he watched his opponent assume a ready stance. Due to the length of the pipe, he held it as one might hold a spear or quarterstaff, both hands on it and ready to parry. 'I can't drain his energy unless it hits the body, so he's keeping me at long range.'

'Alright then,' he thought as he got ready, 'let's see how he takes this!'

Bracing his legs, he jumped into the air and then swung his sword back, thrusting forward in a jab and using his momentum to rocket towards his opponent.

**"Belial Edge!"**

Defender met his charge by swinging his pipe upwards, and it was a testament to his strength that not only did he block the strike, but managed to force Saver off whilst simultaneously causing the deepest craters yet under his feet. Defender was on him like white on rice before he could safely land, smashing the pipe against Saver's right arm and sending him near the edge of the roof, but the red-clad Servant recovered and blocked his next swing as he came upon him a second time.

Sword met rod as the two Servants swung away like things possessed, steel clashing in a cacophony of clangs, bangs, and crunches as they sought to overpower each other once again. Blows that missed created deep gashes in the concrete roof, kicking up dust and occasionally obscuring them from their Masters' sights, though the sounds never once stopped. They were red and black blurs respectively, battering away at each other.

However, slowly but surely, it was the black knight that was overpowering the red hunter. Saver's strikes were getting slower and less powerful, his movements more sluggish, but Defender seemed to be fighting still at full strength. Saver was being placed more and more on the defensive, and Defender pushed his advantage.

Of course, the red hunter had no intentions of throwing in the towel.

"Come on, you bastard!" he roared as he deflected another strike aimed for his head. "Show me what you've got!"

Luvia and Rin just watched each with their own thoughts.

'Wow, Defender's amazing,' Luvia thought with equal parts amazement, pride, and respect. 'I suppose I shouldn't have doubted him, but he's much more powerful than he let on.' A brief glance towards Rin. 'Though to give Tohsaka credit, her Servant's putting up a better fight than I thought, especially with Defender using one of his Noble Phantasms already despite holding back. I guess I wasn't wrong to treat her as a threat. When we fight for real, Defender _might_ very well have to use his trump card to win...'

She would have been amused, though not shocked, to realize that Rin was having similar thoughts.

'Huh, I guess Saver's wasn't just a bag of insults after all,' Rin thought, then slightly grimaced as she felt Saver use up even more Prana to keep fighting. 'But even if he's not using his Noble Phantasm, Defender's much stronger than I thought. I doubt Edelfelt would have him use his full strength in a practice bout, so he's probably even tougher, even without Noble Phantasms. And that smoke... for some reason, I can't read his status or anything about him. A concealing Noble Phantasm?

Her face took on a slight scowl. 'Saver's being forced to the limits I placed him under. If these two fought at full strength with their Noble Phantasms in the future, Defender might just win, even if Saver uses his Counter Hero skill.' A glance, filled with grudging respect, went to Luvia. 'Not bad, Edelfelt. You're not all talk like I thought.'

She didn't turn her head or eyes from the battle, as it might warn her opponent. However, she did force the other set of Command Seals on her hand to activate, her mind searching for her other Servant.

_"Archer, are you watching this?"_

* * *

**_Nearby Rooftop_**

"Yup, clear as day."

Archer stood on a roof of a household near the school, but far enough away so that none of the currently fighting warriors would sense him. His Clairvoyance Skill allowed him to watch the battle as if he was standing there alongside Rin, and he watched the entire thing with an attentive eye.

_"The Edelfelt's Servant is stronger than I anticipated. You think you could take him if it was a one-on-one?"_

He snorted, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. "Sure... if I was standing on a rooftop several hundred meters away with my bow trained on him and he didn't sense me until my shot was already halfway there."

_"...So you're saying he'd kick your ass," _came the deadpan response.

He sighed. "Probably. I might be more melee-inclined than the average Archer, but if he can take Saver, a superior close-range fighter, like this and be winning, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Not entirely true. He had already run several mental trials on the effectiveness of certain Noble Phantasms against a guy like this, and he was certain he had at least a dozen that could beat him. The trick would be using them before he got smashed away. The guy was smarter than a rampaging Heracles, after all.

He heard Rin's mental sigh in return. _"Fine. I guess you two might have to tag-team him when we fight for real. Darn it, I was hoping to save that numerical advantage of surprise for a Servant like Berserker or Saber..."_

Realizing she was just rambling now, Archer decided to tune her out and cut the link, concentrating on the fight at hand. Unbidden, a frown came across his face, something gnawing at him as he watched.

"I have no memory of this battle though..."

Servant Archer, Counter Guardian EMIYA, once again found himself confronted with irrefutable proof that he wasn't in the same Grail War he had fought in while alive. While his memory of the events of his youth were partly jumbled and partly forgotten, a consequence of his many battles, he was certain he would have remembered some of the events that happened.

A member of the Edelfelt family joining the War? He couldn't recall, but it was possible she was the former Master of Caster before... things happened.

Irregular Servants being summoned? Strange, but not insurmountable. After all, Gilgamesh had been an irregular himself... though that knowledge was cold comfort.

Rin summoning two Servants? Well, if anyone could do it, it would be Rin.

Rin and Sakura being sisters under the same roof with their mother living a happy life? That was certainly different, and the first really big clue that something was up with this.

Rin using a gun? Yeah, he was clearly not in the right time.

If so much had really changed this time around, who was to say that this past version of himself was the same person? If the answer was no, that would mean that completing his intended goal, to be free of his wretched existence, had even less chance of succeeding. From what he had seen from Rin's casual interactions with Shirou while in spirit form though, he seemed similar enough, but that meant nothing unless he knew more...

He banished those more unpleasant thoughts with some effort. 'Stick to the plan, EMIYA,' he thought to himself. 'If memory serves, Shirou should still be in the school. Assuming he's there this time around, he'll be attracted to the sounds of battle. Even if it's not Lancer and me this time around...'

Suddenly, he realized what the something that had nagging him had been: Lancer was not here. The Servant of the Spear should have made his patrol here by now. True, current events might suggest that Cu Chulainn wasn't even Kotomine's Servant here and may not have been summoned at all, but still, this had been a monumental moment of his previous life that Lancer had delivered personally. To have him not be here now was-

"Well, what do we have here?"

-something that Archer could have honestly lived without.

Archer Projected Kanshou and Bakuya and simultaneously turned around in half the time a normal person takes to blink. Even so, it wasn't enough to stop the armored sole that collided with his chest, sending him flying off the rooftop to the ground below. Archer managed to catch a glimpse of blue and a long red shaft, and he knew who his opponent was.

The fact he got a good look at the wild, battle-loving face of the Irishman as he literally jumped off the roof after him with spear-end pointed towards his heart was just icing on the cake.

"Have to stop jinxing myself,' he thought as the ground rose to meet him. 'That, and pay better attention to my surroundings. Never quite got the hang of that in life, come to think of it.'

* * *

The massive crash managed to shock both the Servants fighting and the Masters watching on the school roof out of their respective actions, causing them to turn towards the dust cloud that had been kicked up. They were then treated to the sight of Lancer and Archer battering away at each other as they began a sort of running battle towards the school.

Luvia looked towards Rin, eyebrows raised. "Friends of yours?"

Rin didn't bother to return it. "Not really. Just an ally and someone I don't know." "_Damn it Archer, what the hell happened!?"_

_"Got sloppy is what happened," _she could almost hear the grinding of teeth for real. _"Might be busy for a bit."_

They were interrupted by the clash of metal. Looking back, they saw Saver had just finished attacking Defender with a powerful downward slash, who had blocked it barely and was now on the defensive. "Who fucking cares?" he grunted as he pushed the offensive. "It won't change how this fight goes, so why don't you just ignore it and pay attention to the here and now."

"Such language around proper young ladies," Defender chided as he deflected the swings. "You should be ashamed."

"Shut it, you bastard!"

Rin just grunted in response, but then heard Saver through her link with the Command Seals, flaring slightly as he spoke.

_"We can't do anything about it right now," _he told her simply. _"He'll just have to ride it out for a little bit."_

Rin knew he was right, but she didn't like it. Instead, she forced herself to look back at the rooftop battle, ignoring Luvia's slightly narrowed gaze.

* * *

In comparison, Lancer was having the time of his life. After arriving in Fuyuki with his Master and their allies about a week ago, he had spent most of his days just pointlessly wandering the city in casual wear and having taken to wearing Hawaiian shirts. He rarely was at their base, which was apparently the same one Rider's Master had during the Fourth War, save when it was nighttime. He had been raring for a good fight for a long while.

Now, that wasn't to say those days with his Master and teammates were boring, mind you. He genuinely got along with his Master: She was a decent enough person and kinda cute when she was eager to learn more about his life. El-Melloi was a bit of an ass, but he was fair and could drink his fair share in a contest, so he had his respect. Rider... a decent sparring partner, but kind of annoying. He didn't like the way the pale warrior constantly seemed to be so damn sarcastic. It pissed him off. He also lost three matches for every one he won against Rider, but that didn't annoy him as much.

Still, one month even with such colorful characters would leave anyone wanting a break. As such, he spent the week taking in the sights and noting potentially important areas of the city for when the fighting finally started. However, even during the nights when he went out decked in full battle gear under his Master Bazett's orders, he had not once encountered another Servant. He occasionally got a sense every now and then that one was nearby, but that was during the daytime, and it could be anyone. Each miss irked at him slightly: He wanted a serious battle to fight in, yet he had been told such things wouldn't happen until the last Servant had been summoned.

And now, under a routine patrol, he had stumbled across two Servants duking it out on a rooftop (he couldn't quite see it, but he could hear it) while a third one watched the fight like he had no care in the world. Of course, interrupting another's battle went against his normal practice of combat. Attacking a watcher of said fight who could fight back, though, was entirely different.

And again, the desire to fight an actual fight, not some mock one, was one hell of a motivator.

And so here he was, fighting the dual-wielding Archer-class Servant and enjoying every moment of it. True, he was holding back since killing was forbidden until all Servants were on the field, but it was certainly a way to release pent-up energy.

"An Archer who fights like a Saber, huh?" he quipped as their weapons clashed. "Got to say, if I hadn't seen one of the other weird Servants fighting in this War earlier, I'd probably call you out on it."

"Oh joy," his opponent replied as he avoided a jab to the head. "I'd shudder to think what he had that would make you go 'meh' at me."

Lancer rolled his eyes, smashing away a swing to his shoulder. "Wow, just like him too: Sarcastic as hell. You'd get along great."

"Think I'll pass."

_"Lancer, what are you doing?" _came the voice of Bazett over their link. _"Actually, nevermind, I know what you're doing. What I should be asking is: Why are you fighting Archer?"_

_"Saw him just standing there, figured I might as well see what tricks he's got up his sleeve." _Lancer replied simply, then, realizing that his Master was no doubt readying a retort, added, _"Besides, that priest said we couldn't kill each other, never anything about just fighting. Might as well judge the competition before the bullets start flying."_

A pause, then a sigh. _"Just don't do anything stupid, all right?"_

Lancer grinned. _"Of course. Don't you know who I am?"_

_"That's why I told you don't do it."_

He rolled his eyes. _"You're no fun."_

"Done talking to your girlfriend?" Archer asked him as they continued dueling even as the conversation took place. "Hope I'm not keeping you."

"Ah, shut up and fight."

They briefly disengaged, taking a moment to reevaluate their surroundings. Lancer realized they had managed to fight their way to the school pretty damn fast. He could actually catch glimpses of the two Servants overhead when they got close to the roof edge. His eyes then darted around, catching sight of some trees, shrubs, stone, an open door, a kid...

Wait, kid?

Quick glance confirmed it. Teenager, probably a student at this high school, though why anyone would stay after this late was beyond him. Tall, slightly tanned, red-haired, good looks, gold eyes, gripping something in his hands. All this he took in at a glance, though it was pushed to the side slightly by the more pressing matter that the kid was looking right at him.

Which meant he saw both himself and Archer, probably attracted by the sounds of their battle, though the one above might have something to do with it. In other words...

"Tch. A witness."

...and he had to go.

The kid immediately raced back into the building. Well, he certainly had the instincts to know that shit was about to go down and it had something to do with him. Probably would have been smarter to race away from the building, but he had to give points that he at least hadn't freezed up like a dog in the headlights.

_"He saw you didn't he, Lancer?" _Bazett's voice trickled into his mind.

He really didn't want to do this.

_"I don't want this anymore than you do."_

Didn't matter. The rules were absolute.

Another sigh. _"Just make it quick and painless for him, okay?"_

Lancer didn't respond, completely ignoring Archer as he raced after the kid.

The first real casualty of this Grail War.

* * *

"Shit!"

Luvia, Defender, and Saver were all shocked when Rin suddenly yelled that one word, so much so that the latter two stopped in mid-attack by the sheer suddenness and out-of-placeness of the shout. All three looked at her in confusion, wondering what had caused that. All they got was a face almost pure white in fear, eyes shrunken as if she had just received news her mother had dropped dead.

The next shock was how she bolted for the rooftop entrance back into the school, slamming open the door in a flash.

"Hey Rin!" Saver yelled after her (he never called her Master save in certain circumstances). "Where are you going!?"

_"Saving Shirou!" _she yelled at him with the mental force of a runaway car. _"Archer told me the damn idiot was still at school and saw his fight! Now his opponent's trying to kill him! Come on!"_

He actually flinched at the anger and worry in her tone, then changed back into spirit form, looking over at Defender. "Guess we'll settle this fight for real some other day."

Luvia for her part just sort of blinked at the suddenness of her rival's exit, then shook her head and ran after her. "Hey, wait up a minute! What's going on!?"

Defender just went back into spirit form to follow, dropping the battered pipe on the ground. 'I have an ill feeling about this...'

* * *

Shirou ran as fast as he could through the school halls, his mind racing as his instincts screamed at him to get as far away as possible. He mentally face-palmed at the fact he ran right back inside, more or less trapping himself in. He gripped the knife tightly, his only real weapon not giving him much in terms of comfort. He somehow doubted he would be able to inconvenience his hunter in battle for very long anyways. It just wouldn't be a contest.

He skirted around a corner and stopped, quickly leaning around it to see if the spearman was there. Nothing.

He quickly whipped back around with his knife at the ready, the sight of a surprised Lancer with his mouth open greeting him, now doubt preparing some witty line about being too slow. He wouldn't be falling for that old cliche.

Shirou didn't hesitate, lunging forward while simultaneously Reinforcing the knife and his limbs, his five years of training paying off right here and now. His only chance would be a single swift strike. He didn't show mercy as he would to usually and to a normal person, knowing that this 'person' would kill him instantly if he held back even a little.

There was about four feet of space between them. Shirou crossed that distance within a second, knife aimed straight for the heart.

Enough time for the spearman to recover and block the blow with his weapon, not even flinching as the knife hovered so close and not even straining as Shirou attempted to force the shaft aside.

"Huh, not bad kid," the spearman said casually, as if someone attempting to stab him was a daily thing to him. "You've got good reflexes. Shame really, but I can't play with you right now. Sorry about this."

He suddenly swung his weapon up, forcing Shirou's knife arm away and pointing the lance directly towards his chest. "No one's supposed to know about us Servants and what's happening right now: No witnesses at all for this War. So just do us both a favor and die quickly, all right?"

He lunged, and it was like red lightning. Shirou only just barely managed to get his blade up to try and deflect it. More by luck than anything else, he succeeded. And despite the self-Reinforcement, the knife shattered and went flying out of his hands and his arm felt like it had almost been dislocated.

Eyes widening, Shirou tried the only thing he could think of.

'Trace On-!'

He stopped when he felt something hit his chest, like an extremely powerful punch right over the heart. That pain quickly skyrocketed when said punch felt like it literally tore through skin, muscle and bone and right out his back. As if in a daze, he raised his left hand and touched the painful area, which was quickly becoming numb along with the rest of him, and watched as his hand fell away, covered in a dark liquid.

'Blood,' he thought numbly, his thought processes feeling like they were shutting down. '...Huh...'

"Wow, that took more effort than I thought," came Lancer's voice. "Like trying to pierce armor rather than flesh... Maybe you were the fourteenth Master..."

Shirou was only vaguely aware of those words, feeling something hard being ripped back out of his chest, a sound like a sprung water faucet, then yells and something breaking. He saw two blurs, one black and red, other gold and blue, seemingly looking at and running towards him.

"That's... why... here..."

"...heal... get in way..."

"Truce... save..."

"...Fine..."

But by that point he was too far away to make it out or even care, falling to his knees and collapsing with the solid ground, the first thing he actually truly felt.

'Guess everybody... needs to wait... a little longer...'

Then he knew nothing, only oblivion.

* * *

Shirou awoke with a gasp, breathing heavily as his eyes snapped open, clutching his chest and feeling for a heartbeat. It was there, and he sighed, only now taking a look at his surroundings. He was in the school, sprawled out on the ground like he fainted.

'...A dream?' he wondered briefly, looking down at his chest.

The big red stain and tear through his shirt, combined with what appeared to be a white scar, said otherwise.

Suddenly, it all replayed like a fast-forward movie for him. He saw the battle, the spearman, the stab, and then the blurs before unconsciousness.

"I'm alive," he said softly, still staring at the tear as if he was afraid he might just drop back down dead. "But who could have-"

He noticed something next to him, slowly picking it up. It was a jewel pendant, the stone a brilliant red with a silver chain and triangle-shaped connection. Upon the metal, a small cross was in the center.

He wasn't the greatest Magus, but even he could feel the barest traces of Prana still in it.

'Someone definitely saved me,' he thought, remembering the two blurs from his memory. 'But who exactly?'

He flinched slightly as a lance of pain went through his chest, then slowly stood up while using the wall as a support, pocketing the pendant.

"I've got to get home," he muttered. "Everyone's probably worried sick." 'Though how I'm going to explain this hole and blood is gonna be tricky.'

* * *

_**Emiya Residence (Outskirts)**_

'But still, what did that guy mean by 'servants' and 'masters'?' he wondered as he made it to the near the edge of the place he called home, stopping just in front of the door before reaching into his pockets for the keys. While he could have knocked, he figured he might as well try to sneak in first and get a change of clothing. He could hide a scar, but no way could he lie his way out of the tear and bloodstains on his clothes. 'It sounded important, whatever it was, especially if he was willing to kill me to keep quiet about it...'

A vague memory of something Kiritsugu once spoke of, wars between Magi fighting for some sort of miracle and using warriors from legend as servants to fight their battles, reared itself upwards in his mind. But that couldn't be true, because Kiritsugu had said those wars had long since ended and would never happen again due to the destruction they caused.

'Was he lying about that?' he wondered briefly. 'Because that seemed like such a battle to me...'

Having inserted the key, he stopped just short of twisting it, remembering something in particular the blue spearman had said.

_"No one's supposed to know about us Servants and what's happening right now: No witnesses at all for this War. So just do us both a favor and die quickly, all right?"_

The man had meant it too, and yet here he was still alive and kicking. If he caught wind of it...

"He's gonna come back for me," he said aloud, a brief shiver running down his spine as he remembered how effortlessly he had been beaten. "And he's gonna try and end it."

"Then maybe you should have went inside and summoned a Servant, kid, instead of standing there like an idiot wasting time." The spearman's voice came out of nowhere and Shirou froze, nearly unable to believe his luck. Or lack thereof.

On instinct, he ducked his head as fast as possible, feeling the tip of the blood-red spear graze his head, cutting some hair in the process, and then stab through the door. Shirou instantly Reinforced his body even as he ducked, flinching slightly as pain went through him at the sudden of his actions, and finished just in time to take a boot to the chest and smash clean through the door.

A part of him was vaguely aware through the pain of getting kicked, smashing through a wooden door, colliding with the unforgiving earth, and rolling several feet until he stopped face-down that had he not Reinforced himself, that kick probably would have tore through his chest as easily as the spear had. Most of him though was only conscious of two things: Pain foremost, and realization that he had to get away.

The blue spearman was upon him in an instant though, not even leaving him enough time to get up as his foot landed on his back, stomping him into the ground.

"Guess those two girls managed to save you after all," he said simply as looked down on Shirou. "Got to say, I was surprised when I went back for your body under orders from my Master to dispose of it safely, only to find it gone. Never had to kill a person two times in a row."

Shirou attempted to get back up and push him off, but the spearman's foot was like a stone pillar.

He sighed. "You were pretty damn lucky, surviving that. You really might have been the fourteenth, but my Master doesn't want to risk it."

Shirou could almost picture the spear being lifted upwards. "This time, don't come back, alright?"

Shirou struggled under the foot of the blue warrior, desperately fighting to break free. However, he couldn't build up the strength to Reinforce himself again, and even if he had it wouldn't have helped. Images of how Lancer had finished him the first time, only to be saved by luck.

'I can't die here...'

Thoughts of Lambda, Maka and Soul rushed through his mind. What if they were saw this guy before he could leave? What would happen to them? Would he kill them too?

'I don't want to die...'

What could he do now though? This guy was completely out of league, and there was no way he could fight back now. All the training, effort and sacrifice to get where he was, and now it was all for nothing? He hadn't even fulfilled the promise he made to his old man, failed to fulfill the dream of his predecessor.

'I still haven't saved anyone!'

"SHIROU!"

Shirou stiffened at the sound of his name, and he imagined Lancer blinking in surprise, hesitating just for a second. "What the-"

Shirou wasn't quite certain what happened next. He felt a rush of wind, was suddenly aware of Lancer's foot suddenly leaving his back, and then heard the sounds of metal clashing. He quickly got back to his feet and looked behind himself, eyes widening at the sight before him.

Once again, he beheld the Servant Lancer in combat, brandishing his weapon with undeniable skill as he blocked, jabbed, parried, and slashed at his attacker, almost appearing as a blue blur with a red stick.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be!?" he snarled as he jumped back from his opponent. "You're way different from the kid!"

The opponent in question was a woman in a black trench coat, under which was a white blouse, jeans, and black shoes with white buckles. She had ash-blond hair tied into pigtails, and she was rather tall. In her hands she was wielding a scythe with a gray shaft, a red-and-black blade, and a red eye with a black pupil framed with gold metal where the former two met, and small wing-like objects opposite of the blade.

However, aside from the scythe, she was the spitting image of one of Shirou's closest friends and almost-parent figures.

"M-Maka?"

She turned slightly at the sound of her name, showing her face and large green eyes, confirming for him that it was indeed his honorary aunt. She gave him a brief smile. "Hey Shirou," she told him. "We were getting worried about you for a second."

Shirou blinked for a few seconds, trying to process how she had just been matching Lancer when he himself had failed to really just inconvenience him. "W-What's-"

"No time for that," Maka interrupted him, her tone taking on a cold steel she had never heard before. She turned back around to face Lancer, who was just watching silently. "Take Noel and get out of here. I'll deal with this."

Her tone managed to force out some of his confusion. "What about Maiya and Soul?"

"She's not back yet, and don't worry about him. Right Soul?"

"Yeah, what she said."

Shirou nearly had a heart attack when he realized Soul's voice had just come from the scythe in her hands, and he nearly had a second one when the eye on it suddenly looked right at him. "Don't worry about us."

Shirou's brain couldn't quite process everything happening. "What... Who... Why... How...?

"What are you waiting around for?" Maka suddenly snapped, shocking Shirou out of his stupor. She never yelled like that to him before. "Go!"

That got him moving. He quickly scampered away, racing for the house.

"No you don't!" Came Lancer's yell, only to be interrupted by another _clang_.

"Your opponent is _me_!" he heard Maka yell back. "And I won't let you hurt anyone else here, Lancer! Now fight!"

A million questions ran through Shirou's mind, but he ignored them as he moved as fast as his injured body would allow, hand on his side as he made it to the door. It was torn open from the inside, and he got a good look at Lambda (aka Noel Valenzuela), staring at him with concern behind her sunglasses.

"Come on!" she told him, thrusting something long and familiar into his hands as she took him by the arm and almost dragged him away. Looking down, he realized it was a cutlass, his most prized possession, and he clutched it even tighter to his chest as they ran.

They only made it partially across the yard to the back exit before they heard a yell of surprise, followed by a crashing noise. Looking back, they saw a hole in the wall of the main housing area, then looked over to see Lancer, hand on a wicked and bleeding slash across his chest, panting heavily as he stared at it.

"Bitch...," he panted, then looked straight at them, eyes narrowed. "This shit's getting really old now!"

He lunged towards them, spear at the ready. Shirou attempted to draw his sword, though he knew it'd be useless, but Lambda was faster, forming what appeared to be a magic circle in front of herself.

"Destruction!"

The circle became a portal, and a host of small swords spewed out, all aimed to cut Lancer down.

He didn't even slow down, even as his eyes widened in surprise before narrowing again.

Shirou and Lambda watched in shock as he raced through the hail of death, swords striking his body and literally deflecting off of it, or at least the ones he didn't deflect with his lance. His expression didn't change once, save when a sword smacked him right between the eyes. His head jerked to the side, but he kept moving.

In an instant, he was through it, and he celebrated by impaling Lambda through the shoulder, simultaneously kicking Shirou in the unReinforced chest and sending him crashing into the nearest building, which just so happened to be the shed/workshop. He tore through the door, breaking a least a few ribs and probably causing some internal damage in the process, and landed on the stone floor with a _crack_, meaning he just broke an arm.

Lancer looked down at the girl on his spear, quickly wrenching it out. The wound looked ghastly, to be sure, but she'd live if she got help. She fell to the ground, immediately pressing a hand to the injury to try and staunch the blood flow, panting hard and fast in pain and yet she looked at him with defiance, as if daring him to finish her off.

Lancer had to respect that kind of attitude in the face of death. It wouldn't change anything, but it proved she was made of sterner stuff than most. Not that she could do anything, of course, since she probably wouldn't be moving with that hole in her.

"Why'd this night have to get so damn difficult?" he muttered, then shook his head. "I should have stayed inside tonight."

_"Have to agree with you there," _came Bazett's tired voice. _"Mr. Velvet's gonna chew us both out for this. Might as well do it right this time."_

_"First things first, the kid."_ he told her, racing towards the shed and leaving her there still conscious and bleeding. _"I'll take care of her next."_

He heard Bazett's sigh, and he could tell she didn't like this anymore than he did. Once again, another reason he liked her. Good thing he wasn't summoned by some damn crazy sadist.

He shook his head, entering the shed and noticing how Shirou had managed to get to his feet (well, knees actually), holding some sort of blade in his hands as some final act of resistance. 'Better finish this.'

* * *

_**Some Ways Away (About Four or Five Minutes)**_

"Damnit move!"

Rin's face was the picture of anger as she raced through the streets of Fuyuki, heading straight towards the Emiya Residence. She couldn't believe herself. After chasing off Lancer and calling a truce with Luvia in order to heal Shirou, both going their separate ways, she had completely allowed it to slip her mind that by not taking care of Lancer, she was just putting Shirou back up on the targeting board. No doubt he was already there, getting ready to finish what he started.

And just her damn luck she had realized this only when her Servants had mentioned it in passing and they happened to be almost several hundred meters away!

Thus leading to her current predicament, bobbing and weaving between night-goers as she ran towards the Residence, praying she wasn't too late.

Her Servants were both in their spirit forms, and they knew better than to try and comfort her right now. She would probably just have a nervous breakdown if they attempted to try and convince her to calm down.

'Please be safe, Shirou,' she thought briefly, clutching her silver cross. 'I'll be there in a minute!'

* * *

_**Emiya Residence (Shed)**_

Shirou figured he couldn't buy himself a full minute in his current condition. He was certain he was seeing spots, and Lancer looked rather blurry in his vision. His right arm wouldn't be of any use due to being broken, and his left one had to struggle to bring his sword at the ready. He couldn't even get to his feet, having to remain on his knees.

Still, he'd be damned if he was going down without a struggle.

"End of the line kid," Lancer told him as he stepped inside. "It's been a good run, but all good things end sometime."

Shirou didn't answer, instead choosing to concentrate everything he had on the sword in his grip.

'Trace On!'

He Reinforced it to the maximum he'd dare, for anything more would make it explode. With an almost primal yell, he lunged directly towards Lancer, sword swinging for a final strike.

Lancer's stony expression didn't change as he knocked the blade out of his hands and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Points for effort," he told him. "Nothing else."

Shirou collapsed onto the magic circle in the center of his workshop, the area where he normally practiced his Magecraft since that was where he could gather Prana more efficiently. He was completely spent, absolutely nothing left to try and fight with. However, unknown to both of them, the circle slowly started to get brighter and brighter, absorbing the excess Prana around them to fuel itself.

Lancer lifted the spear up, aiming directly for where Shirou's heart was. "Farewell, kid. Don't go astray this time, you hear?"

In the time it took him to do that, Shirou's thought processes went faster than ever.

'No... this can't be it... I can't die here now... what about everyone else... I can't leave them... I have a promise to keep!'

With each thought, the circle seemed to respond, getting brighter and brighter, power gathering to be released. Lancer realized what was about to happen, and so did his watching Master.

_"Hurry Lancer!" _she yelled at him. _"Before he does it!"_

"Shit!" he yelled, thrusting forward.

'I still need to do something... I can't afford to die here!'

Lancer hesitated for the briefest of instances, eyes widening even further as the circle grew almost blinding, red marks appearing on Shirou's left hand. "No!"

"I WISH TO LIVE!" Shirou yelled with all his strength.

But a millisecond before Lancer's spear would have made those some very ironic last words, the circle exploded. The world for the two of them flashed white, so bright that Shirou shut his eyes instinctively.

The next thing the blinded Shirou knew, a massive clanging noise erupted, followed by what sounded like a curse before something went flying back outside, though from the sound of yelling he could guess it was Lancer. Then there was only silence, like the night was waiting for something to happen.

Shirou slowly opened his eyes, and in that instant beheld _her._

She was a young, white-skinned woman, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, wearing an old-fashioned blue cloth dress under a set of elegant-looking silver armor. She lacked a helmet, which showed off her face, though she wore a white, scale-patterned scarf around her neck that somehow managed to look good on her. Her face reflected her youth, though she had a regal bearing and austere expression that spoke of experience much greater than one her age should have. Her golden hair was tied into a bun, and an ahoge hung over her head. In her hands, she seemed to hold the air itself, though if the clanging noise that she had made when she clashed with Lancer's spear meant anything, there probably was a weapon there, simply invisible.

What surprised him most though, were her eyes. Her right eye was an emerald green that seemed to stare directly into his soul, very similar in a way to how Maka's eyes did. Her left eye, on the other hand, was a brilliant golden color, eerily mysterious and seemed to suggest at something darker about her.

He took all this in an instant, and one coherent thought moved through his mind.

'She's beautiful...'

For a moment that to Shirou seemed to stretch on into eternity, they were silent. Then, at last she spoke, and her voice remained embedded into his memory forever more.

"I am Servant Saber," she said in clear, strong voice. "I ask of you... are you my Master?"

* * *

**And like that, we bring this chapter to a close. I hope people enjoyed this chapter, and while I could have kept going, I felt ending on such a potent note of the original Fate/stay Night would be the best thing to do.**

**Anyways, time for the Servant Skill Sheets! (Note: Since some canon Servants got new Masters and/or classes (or said canon Masters are just more competent), expect me to put up ones for them to at some point.)**

Servant: Berserker

Master: Illyasviel von Einzbern

Identity: Asura

Title: The Destructor

Series- Asura's Wrath

Sex: Male

Alignment: Chaotic Good (Chaotic Mad under Mad Enhancement)

Strength: A (A++)* (EX)** (A+++)***  
Endurance: A (B++)* (B+++)** (B+)***  
Agility: A (B++)* (A++)**  
Mana: A+ (A++)* (A+++)**  
Luck: C (C+)* (C++)** (D)***  
Noble Phantasm: EX

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Six-Arm Vajra_)

** (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Wrath_ and/or _Mantra Asura_)

*** (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Wrath Asura _alone) If this appears, the (**) stat change belongs solely to _Mantra Asura_.

_Class Skills-_

Mad Enhancement- Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills.

A: Rank up for parameters, but most of one's reason is robbed. Due to undergoing consciousness equalization with the Master, one has become a more mechanical Servant. In Asura's case, this is mostly nullified by his Personal Skill, _Rage Never Dies_, though it is possible for him to completely lose all reason in extreme circumstances.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

A+: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive even if one receives a decisively fatal wound, though they will succumb to such wounds once the battle is over.

Charisma- The natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. It is said a rank of (B) in this skill is sufficient to lead a country.

D: Leadership skills increase, but the morale of troops remains the same. As one of the Eight Guardian Generals, Asura was expected to lead his warriors into battle. However, he had a habit of just rushing ahead by himself to deal with threats.

Divinity- The measure of one's Divine Spirit aptitude.

B: Being a demigod and one of the bearers of the Eight Mantras, Asura is a being on the level of the true divine. Formerly (A++), but his own disgust with gods and denial of godhood to God himself lowers it to here.

Eye of Mind (False)- A natural talent to avoid danger on the basis of an innate 6th sense, intuition, or prescience, where accuracy of instinct has been augmented by experience - somewhat overcoming the problem of visual obstructions that appear in the course of combat. Differs from Eye of Mind (True) in that the former is natural instinct while the latter is the accumulation of experience to achieve a similar effect.

B: Calm analysis of battle conditions, by which competent grasp of the status of the self and the opponent are obtainable even in the midst of danger; utilization of such to deduce the appropriate course of action that permits escape from a lethal predicament. (Incapable of being used to its fullest extent while berserk, though functions well enough as an instinct).

Pioneer of the Stars- The unique Skill given to heroes that became turning points in the human history. All difficult voyages and challenges which are considered "impossible" turn into "events that can be realized".

EX: Asura's actions in life ultimately lead to both the destruction of the eternal foes of his world, the Gohma, and the death of the Creator God Chakravartin himself, erasing Mantra, the source of their world's power and his race's immortality, forever.

Rage Never Dies- A Skill which allows one to function under the effects of pure rage, perpetually angry at all times save in some circumstances. Negates Mad Enhancement's more negative effects due to the anger always bubbling up. Becomes stronger the more filled with rage the user is, but runs the risk of completely destroying the user. Key to using the Noble Phantasm _Wrath Asura_.

A+: Asura spent, after the Great Betrayal, most of his life burning with rage, his eyes turning white and even occasionally threatening to destroy his body from the sheer amount he held. He only truly lost it at the moment of his death.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Six-Armed Vajra- The Guardian of Rage: (A+): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Identical to his usual form, Asura gains an additional two pairs of arms for a total of six metallic arms. Boosts stats by aforementioned amounts and can only be used when sufficient Prana is obtained or when sufficiently angered.

Wrath Asura- The Demon of Hatred: (A+): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): When angered to unbelievably extremes, Asura's body transforms into a feral, blacken-coated monstrosity with sharpened claws. In this form, he becomes a true Berserker-class Servant, losing any sense of reason and boosting his stats to their true levels granted by Mad Enhancement, though he can still recognize friend from foe and communicate with his Master. However, his body can't contain the power he now holds and attacking actually does more damage to himself than to others. If he spends too long in this form, he will die.

Mantra Asura- The Slayer of God: (A++): (Anti-Unit (Oneself), Anti-Divine): The pinnacle of Asura's natural power. Appears the same as his regular form save for his two arms becoming hulking, armored gauntlets with the strength of a thousand of his regular arms and possessing vents to emit giant bursts of Prana to give him a facsimile of Prana Burst. His rage is at its most concentrated here, harnessing the excess Prana of his Wrath form to give him the same stat boosts yet retaining his mind and preventing self-degeneration.

**For anyone savvy to Asura's Wrath and realizing I left out several of Berserker's forms, I will address that here and now: Asura has never shown the ability to use his Berserker form ever since he got blasted with the Brahmastra cannon, which reduced him to his Wrath form and is more or less never used again, while he used Wrath Asura at least once more (It's stated Wrath Asura is what's leftover of Berserker Asura). Besides, it's practically a sitting duck firing Prana everywhere, and while that's entertaining, it's a little too straightforward and most all of the Servants have ways to counter it. As for Destructor Asura... he's bigger than the planet itself. Illya would kill herself attempting to get him to that form, much less maintain it long enough to actually do something constructive (or destructive). Six-Armed Mantra Asura: ...Possible, but the sheer amount of Prana (He's a god in all but name in that form) it would take to get him there is beyond even Illya's ability. It would take a Master literally and actively powered by the Holy Grail itself to get him there and maintain it.**

**Well, that's all for now! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Next time: Saber vs. Lancer, Archer and Saver arrive with Rin, some reunions, a trip to a Church, and finally, some good old family bonding... of DEATH!**

**Thanks for reading, and remember, keep reviewing, faving, and following!**


	4. Family Quarrel

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare! At last, Servant Saber has been summoned! More action this time around!**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel (Nighttime)**_

Avenger suddenly sat up from her previously bored position on the couch of Caren and Shirou Kotomine's headquarters, eyes widening before a wicked grin came across her face. She quickly glanced about, noticing that Shirou Kotomine's door had been shut for the night, the room that the damn Caster had taken was shut tight, probably up to some experiment or something, and Caren was reading some sort of book about a guy named 'Peter Johnson' or something like that in the kitchen, apparently engrossed in it. She stood up quietly, preparing to enter spirit form, but was interrupted by her Master's voice.

"And where do you think you're going Avenger?" came the inevitable question.

"Out," she replied. "I'm bored, so I figured I might as well as see the night life of the city."

Caren looked away from her book and stared at her. "...This wouldn't have anything to do with the last Servant being summoned... Saber, wasn't it?"

Well, so much for subtlety, but that was never really a strong point for her anyways. Avenger decided to just get to the point. "Yes. I felt it... and it's him."

Caren blinked, surprise flickering across her features. "You're certain." It was a statement, not a question.

Avenger grinned mirthlessly. "Trust me when I say I would know if my father has been summoned. Call it a child's intuition."

"And defeat him?"

"I killed him before."

"After being fatally injured," came the sarcastic reply.

Avenger rolled her eyes. "Can I go or not, Master?"

Caren was silent, then looked down at her gloved hand. It wasn't the smartest choice to let her go, and Kotomine most certainly wouldn't approve of it. However, Caren also knew how much something like this meant to Avenger, and how refusing could potentially damage their partnership. A compromise would be necessary.

Finally, she just said, "If you find him, then you may fight if you so desire. However, you will return when I order you to, whether you want to or not. Is that clear?"

Avenger wasn't happy with that particular restriction, but agreed. Had it been Kotomine, he would have refused. Instead, she nodded. "Thank you Master."

Caren made a motion towards the door. "Just don't let Caster's pets see you."

She rolled her eyes. "That damned lizard couldn't beat me by himself with his own bare hands, much less his little helpers. I'll just say I went for a walk in the woods at night."

With that, Avenger opened the door and vanished. Caren stared at the spot she had been in for a moment, then whispered. "Good luck, Avenger."

* * *

_**Emiya Residence**_

Servant Lancer was not having a good night.

At first he had been just looking for some action, but after fighting the Servant Archer, having to kill a witness, being chased off by a pair of girls with their Servants, finding out said killed witness wasn't quite dead after all, hunting him down, getting attacked by a lady with the strength of a Servant and getting slashed across the chest, getting shot at by some Magus whose bullets are _swords_, finally cornering the witness at last in a shed, and then getting knocked outside the shed by the kid's newly summoned _Servant_, he would go so far to say that the world was just f*cking with him now.

"Goddamnit," he muttered as he got back to his feet, looking towards the entrance of the shed. "Why the hell can't anything just be simple around here!?"

_"What do you think we should do now?" _Bazett asked him over their link. _"The kid's a Master now, so we don't have any real reason to kill him anymore. You could just leave."_

Lancer paused at that. True, since the kid was a participant now, he didn't really have any reason to kill him anymore for being a witness, and since the War hadn't officially started just yet, he was still exempt from trying to kill him as a threat. He could just leave covered in bruises and scars and forget this night ever happened until the War officially started up, then come back and kill him and his Servant if he needed to.

Then he remembered there were still two other non-participants that had seen him, one of which was unaccounted for.

Quickly, he looked over to where the blonde girl from earlier had been, only to blink when he realized there was no one there, just a blood stain that quickly petered out some ways away.

_"Still need to deal with one more witness," _he told Bazett as he whirled around, seeing the blonde girl rushing towards the wall where he had sent the woman with the talking scythe crashing through, somehow moving a hell of a lot faster and better than someone with a gaping hole through her shoulder should be able to. _"Give me a second."_

It was only the faint rush of wind that alerted him to the greater threat. Cursing himself for forgetting that there was a Servant of a Master whom he had just tried to kill twice and probably killed one of his friends was still in the room behind him, he twirled around and managed to block the blade of air that would have carved a fitting twin to the scar already on his chest. For a moment they strained against each other, then his opponent jumped back to gain some space, just far enough out of his spear's range.

Lancer blinked at the sight of the teenaged blonde girl in front of him, having been unable to get a good look at her when she had sent him flying out of the shed. Somehow, she seemed to clash with the armor and scarf (which to his eyes didn't look like it was part of the original setup) she was wearing, though from the way she held her apparently invisible blade and the look she was giving him, she was no stranger to any sort of combat.

Also, there was something discording about her golden left eye. It didn't seem natural, almost as if it was... corrupted. He didn't quite get why he used that word, but it was unsettling to look upon.

He shook his head and grinned. "So," he began, "you're the Servant Saber, I take it?"

"Indeed," came her response. "And you are no doubt the Servant Lancer."

_"Lancer, don't do anything stupid..." _Bazett warned him.

Lancer kept the grin up. "Alright... but before we do this, are you sure you don't want to save this for later?" A glance behind her showed her Master, who had managed to limp towards the entrance of the shed to watch. "I mean, your Master doesn't seem to know jackshit about what's going on right now, I'm wounded and all that. As knights, isn't it only fair that we face each other at full strength?"

Saber's face remained impassive. "Perhaps I would have agreed with you some other time, but from the looks of things it was _you _that injured and attempted to kill my Master and are responsible for the damage around the area. I can't in good conscience let you go." A slight narrowing of the eyes. "In addition, we are Servants before we are knights, and when two enemy Servants cross paths, there will be no next time."

_"Well, can't say I didn't try," _he told his Master.

_"...Just make it quick."_

"Hah! Well said!" Lancer yelled to both Saber and Bazett, lunging forward with his weapon. "I guess I'll just beat you down and then go!"

He figured that this would probably be the last fight of the night for him, he might as well get some enjoyment out of it.

* * *

Saber narrowed her eyes as he attacked, immediately parrying with Invisible Air and closing the distance, returning the favor with a powerful downward slash. She watched as Lancer blocked it with his spear, mentally smiling at the look of utter confusion on his face as he was forced back from the blow.

She had to admit, she was surprised when she had been summoned into the very same shed and magic circle that Irisviel had rested in during the final days of the last Holy Grail War, and even more surprised when she had been summoned not only with the scarf that Caster had given her during the last battle, but was even being supplied Prana by it. It didn't quite make up for the faulty connection she had with her current Master, but she was stronger than she would have been, that much was certain.

Speaking of her Master, she spared a glance behind herself, seeing that he was obeying her request to stay back and let her handle this, holding that sword of his at his side. Good. Now she wouldn't have to worry about him getting caught in the crossfire. Faulty connection or not, she was still his Servant, and so it was her duty to protect him.

Besides, he certainly couldn't be a worse Master than Kiritsugu...

"Not bad, but there are few things more careless in battle than taking your eyes off your opponent!"

Lancer's voice snapped her back to reality, her body moving on instinct as she blocked his attack with her blade. She narrowed her eyes. Time for reflections could wait. This was a battle of life and death.

She forced him off and struck swiftly, her three swings all blocked by the red shaft of his spear, but the power behind them forced him back all the same. Lancer's expression changed to that of a grimace, and she could observe the small nicks in his lance.

"Come on Lancer," she asked him coyly. "Are you going to attack, or are you simply resorting to sneak attacks like earlier like a coward?"

Lancer twitched, but, with the appearance of a man reigning in his temper, did not rise to the bait by being reckless. Instead, a smirk appeared on his face.

"Really? That's a low blow, especially coming from the fighter who won't show me her own weapon, _Saber_," he replied, forcing her off his weapon and lunging forward twice as fast. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that sword is a dead giveaway to your identity."

A half-smirk twitched across Saber's mouth even as she managed to parry the strike. "Who said it was a sword? It could be a lance, an axe, perhaps even a bow. Just because my class is Saber doesn't necessarily mean I use one all the time."

Lancer rolled his eyes as he swung again, attack colliding with her weapon before pulling back for a thrust. "Whatever you say, Servant of the Sword. I guess I'll just find out for myself!"

"A shame you won't live long enough to see it then!" Waiting until he had drawn back far enough for another attack, she activated Prana Burst, preparing to smash through Lancer's guard with a single, powerful attack. He lunged faster than ever, but her blade was faster, coming down on him like an executioner's axe...

And then missed as Lancer jumped back, his last attack but a feint for the real one. As Saber's blade collided with the ground with a massive _boom_, creating a crater and scattering grass and dirt everywhere, Lancer moved faster than ever before, assuming a ready stance with his lance pointed downwards. Suddenly, the air seemed to grow still. Saber felt a massive surge of Prana around him, as if he was absorbing all the heat in his surroundings and directing it towards the spear in his hands. The weapon began to vibrate, creating a humming sound as he threw himself towards Saber.

No doubt _this_ was his Noble Phantasm.

Saber arose from the crater and backpedalled, activating Prana Burst to try and match Lancer's speed, sword raised for the finishing blow.

'With that sort of Prana concentration, if he hits me with that attack, it's all over... but his stature is too low,' she thought quickly as he closed the distance even with her enhanced speed. 'If I can avoid it...' she tensed her leg muscles in preparation for a jump, 'I can end it!'

However, Lancer only smiled grimly. The spear seemed to glow in the nighttime air, as if in anticipation of the blood it was about to shed.

_"Lancer, are you about to use your Noble Phantasm now!?" _Bazett almost screamed over their connection. _"You do realize what will happen if anyone else sees this?"_

_"Don't worry," _he replied. _"She won't live long enough to tell anyone about it."_

**_"Gáe..." _**He intoned, perhaps but a foot or so away from Saber.

Saber jumped into the air, ready to dodge the perceived thrust and sword at the ready to strike him down.

Lancer could have laughed at the pathetic effort. Gáe Bolg, The Spear of Impaling Barbed Death, couldn't be stopped by something like that. The spear was the ultimate killing weapon, reversing the nature of causality to always pierce the target's heart with a single thrust. Dodging was useless, blocking futile. It would _always _strike the heart, no matter what. Once activated, it was about as possible to avoid it as escaping a black hole's gravity well.

Servant Saber would die here tonight with a hole through her heart, no matter what she tried. There was no changing that.

Of course, there was one way to stop the technique: Someone had to actually interrupt him before he could complete the incantation, or, failing that, possess high enough luck or divine protection so the attack would only graze the heart rather than pierce it, but even that was a big 'maybe' to survival.

However, Lancer and Saber were so concentrated on trying to defeat the other that they had, for the brief moments that Lancer had begun using his Noble Phantasm, completely tuned out any outside interference. This normally wouldn't be a bad thing, as anyone else around the area currently were either apparently dead or just not fast or strong enough to interfere.

Unfortunately for Lancer and unknown (but fortunately) to Saber, said apparently-dead person was still alive and plenty fast and strong enough to intervene.

_**"B-" **_Lancer was suddenly interrupted when he felt something curved slice across his back, causing him to cancel the Noble Phantasm and mess up his thrust. Saber, surprised by the sudden intervention and Lancer's faltered move, mistimed her strike, simply slicing into his right shoulder rather than his neck as she intended.

"Shit!" he yelled, dashing as fast as he could away and glancing over his shoulder, seeing the scythe girl from earlier standing near Saber. He stopped near the estate wall, taking a good look at both of them and noticing how Saber was looking at the scythe wielder like she saw a ghost out of her past.

His attention, however, was on the scythe wielder, who was staring at him with a determined, yet very calm expression, though her eyes seemed to be just barely holding in her anger.

"Maka!" he heard Saber's Master yell from by the shed. Huh, so that was her name.

"This fight is over," she told him in a no-nonsense tone. "I'll let you go free if you promise not to come back here trying to harm anyone."

Lancer winced at the pain of his new cuts, but still managed to keep up a strong front. "...Well, you're something else," he quipped. "What are you supposed to be, some sort of Servant?"

A slight narrowing of eyes was his only answer. "My patience is running thin. I'm rather confident myself and Saber can take you down right here and now with how you're injured, but I'm willing to give you a chance to run if you agree."

Saber turned to her companion in disbelief. "B-... _Maka_, you can't be serious, can you? He just..."

A glance between them that seemed to say: _I'll bring you up to speed in a second, just hold on_, then the 'Maka' girl looked back at him. "Well?"

_"...Well, what do you think, Master?" _he thought quickly. _"Want to make an agreement? Kind of in a tight spot."_

An exasperated sigh greeted him. _"...Not like we have a choice. The question is, do you intend to honor it?"_

_"I keep my promises," _came his response. _"And you?"_

_"I don't break deals unless they're broken with me first."_

Lancer clenched his jaw for a moment. This night had just been one disaster after another. The only good parts were that he had confirmed the identities of several Masters, fought a few Servants to get their battle strategies, and managed to avoid revealing his Noble Phantasm (if only because that Maka character stopped him before revealing the important second part.) to the enemy, but they were cold comfort to him.

A part of him just wanted to cut loose and kill both of them right then and there to relieve some of his tension, but the rational part beat that part over the head with a stick and told him the smart thing to do was live and fight another day.

"Fine..." he said, just loud enough to that they could hear him. "This night's been crazy enough as it is. But that's what you get when you go out looking for trouble..."

He slowly turned around, keeping at least one eye on both of them as he did so. Neither moved, though he could tell Saber wasn't happy about it at all.

Well boo-hoo for her.

"Remember though," he told them, "the moment you guys leave this place, your asses are mine."

"Buddy, never tell a guy that his ass is yours," came a male's voice, seemingly from near the two women.

Lancer narrowed his eyes as Maka slightly grinned at that, but rolled his eyes. "Shut up, you damn piece of scrap," he muttered as he jumped over the wall, immediately racing back towards his Master's and their ally's headquarters.

He resolved to, once he got there, grab a case of beer and start drinking, then pass out for the rest of the night.

_"Save a couple for me," _came Bazett's tired sigh. _"I need one after all of this."_

Cu Chullainn had no answer to that.

* * *

Saber stared at Maka for the longest of moments after Lancer left, her face having broken its former impassiveness to be replaced with confusion, fear, amazement, surprise, and simple dumbfoundedness, as if she was looking at a friend she thought was dead and gone for years and had moved on with her life, only to find said friend on her doorstep one day asking what was for dinner tonight.

Rather ironic, considering that if anyone should be doing that, it would be Maka. To her eyes, Saber had not changed once in the decade since they had seen each other, appearing just as she had during their final battle, although wearing full armor rather than tattered remnants and not covered in ash and burns.

"Maka..." Saber whispered, then glanced towards Soul in scythe form, "And Soul... you're both really here?"

With a flash of white-blue light, Soul returned to his human form, hands in his pockets as he stared at Saber. "Real as you are right now," he answered her with that familiar smile. "...I guess it's been a long time."

Saber glanced between them both as if she was afraid they would vanish before her eyes. To both Maka's and Soul's surprise, her golden left eye started to change back to the same green color as her right. "You're... older."

Maka grinned slightly at that statement. "Well, ten years is a long time," she admitted. Saber seemed surprised at that, although for her, the time between the last War and this one could probably be summed up as mere minutes. "Things like that happen."

Maka then lifted her hand, holding it out to Saber. "Well... what do you say? Still want to be friends?"

Saber looked between them as if they just asked her if she wanted to have a threesome. She looked at the hand as if it was some forbidden fruit she desired but couldn't take.

"After everything that happened on that night..." she began slowly, her voice extremely quiet, "after I destroyed your hopes for the miracle... you still want my friendship? That's what you're tell me?"

"Hey, we killed you," Soul reminded her, all three flinching and suddenly growing quiet at that particular memory. Maka looked like she was going to brain him with a rock, but then he continued. "And besides... it really doesn't matter to us now. Ten years is enough time for old grudges to settle, and we never blamed you for it." He shrugged. "Heck, if anything, we're the ones undeserving of your friendship. We were the ones who lived on while you died, and you have every right to hate us for it."

Saber stared at them both flabbergasted, staring at the hand and then at them. Then, as if afraid that it might disappear at any moment, she slowly took Maka's gloved hand into her own, gripping it firmly.

"...I could never hate either of you... my friends," she finally said, then, in a moment that brought memories back to both Maka and Soul, suddenly rushed forward and embraced them both. "I-I'm sorry about this," she muttered quietly. "I-I really am, but..."

The two of them looked at each other in embarrassment, realizing that to anyone watching this, it probably looked like a daughter embracing her parents, then slowly returned it a sort of group hug.

"Hey, it's good to have you back, okay?" Maka muttered. "No reason to be ashamed about it."

"A king must be able to hide her feelings..." came the response.

"And you're not our king, you're your friend. It's alright to act like it." Soul told her.

Meanwhile, Shirou had managed to get closer to the three of them, standing about three feet away but not wanting to say or do anything that would interrupt this moment. He could tell this was one of those things that you weren't supposed to just interrupt by saying something stupid. Still, he wanted answers. Things were sort of flying over his head about how the hell Maka and Soul knew this knight in armor and were apparently friends with her, who the hell that 'Lancer' guy was (just because he could assume he was a so-called 'Servant' really didn't mean anything if he didn't understand the full meaning behind it), how on Earth Maka and Soul had been able to keep up with him where he and Lambda had failed-

His eyes widened. "Lambda!" he yelled, ashamed that he had completely forgotten about her. His shout was enough to bring the other three out of their little group session and stare at him in surprise, but Shirou wasn't paying attention, turning his gaze towards where he had last seen Lambda, only to see a blood stain on the ground.

"Shirou, don't worry," came Maka's voice, cutting through his panic, "She's fine. Helped me and Soul get back up."

He turned to look at her, then over by the house, noticing for the first time the familiar beret of his friend slowly walking towards them, injury in her shoulder healed, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that's good," he muttered, then turned his gaze upon the other three, particularly on Saber. He cleared his throat, not wanting to sound whiny. "Um... not to ruin the moment or be left out of the loop, but could someone explain to me what's going on right now? I get that there's some sort of war going on and I'm supposed to be one of the participants, but that's really all I'm getting here..."

The three looked at each for a moment, though Saber's stare seemed to be: _He doesn't know anything? _while Maka's and Soul's were: _Not exactly. _Lambda made it to them by that point and, after she and Saber exchanged glances before Maka told them both to stop it, looked over Shirou.

"You're a mess," she told him simply, creating a healing circle underneath him as she did so, a soft melody playing as the magic take effect.

Shirou chuckled. "I'm gonna stop staying after so late." he sighed, taking a moment to relax his muscles as he felt his body begin to heal. He then looked over at the other three. "So... anyone willing to fill me in, please?"

Saber looked surprised at the magic circle, but then sighed and opened her mouth to explain._  
_

"Well, to begin with, I am your Servant, Saber, and you are my Master, a participant, the proof of which is upon the back of your hand in the form of Command Seals." Shirou glanced down at his left hand to see, sure enough, a set of red markings, the 'Command Seals'. "And you are correct about a war; you have been chosen to fight in a battle to the death of seven Magi with the powers of Heroic Spirits of legend under their command for the right to obtain the Holy Grail, which shall grant both you and your Servant a single wish of your choosing should you win. That is the Holy Grail War."

Short, to the point, and simple enough that he could understand the gist of it. Of course, understanding was an entirely different point from accepting it.

"Holy Grail... battle to the death?" he asked confusedly, though he could tell from the expressions on all three of their faces that they weren't kidding. This was a little much to take in, especially considering the fact that he had just died tonight. "You mean like that story Kiritsugu told me once? _That_ Holy Grail War?"

Soul, understanding what he was talking about, nodded. "The very same. Although calling it a story is a bit of a stretch..."

Then something that Lancer said came back to Shirou.

_"You might have been the fourteenth..."_

'But she just said only seven Servants were fighting,' Shirou thought to himself. 'So what does that mean?'

Before he could ask anything, such as how on Earth Maka and Soul knew Saber if she was supposed to be a figure of legend from the bygone era, said Servant suddenly stiffened and turned around towards the front, eyes wide.

"Two... no, three more?" she asked herself quietly, then turned back to Shirou. "I'm sorry, Master, but there appears to be several more enemies nearby. Please wait here." She suddenly raced off, jumping over the shattered gate and into the night.

Maka blinked, then seemed to realize something important if the way she suddenly paled meant anything. "Saber, wait!" she yelled, Soul returning to his scythe form (That was another thing to ask: When the hell could he do that!?) and raced after her. "Don't do it!"

Shirou, despite Lambda's protests, hurried as fast as he was able after them with Lambda behind him. They both heard shouts, the sound of clanging metal, then a familiar voice yelling, "Archer, get back!"

"That couldn't be..." Shirou muttered, looking back at Lambda who had the same expression on her face. "Rin?"

Finally, they cleared the gate, coming to a stop at the sight before them. In front of them, Saber's invisible sword was currently straining against a huge slab of metal being held by a guy wearing a red coat with spiky white hair, while Maka had her scythe pointed towards another guy in a red coat, though his hair wasn't spiky, he had a tan, two swords, and a big gash running down his chest and panting heavily from it. Behind those two, there was the familiar face of Rin Tohsaka, dividing her staring between Saber, Maka, Lambda, and Shirou and holding a... silver gun?

There was silence on all sides for a very long moment, then Rin broke it.

"Well Shirou," she said casually, "when I was bringing the cavalry to save you from Lancer, I didn't think you'd have the situation under control already." A glance towards Lambda. "Hey Noel, you look like you're doing well tonight."

"Thank you. How's Sakura?"

"Great actually. Probably wondering where I am at this time of night."

Yep, it was Rin.

The spiky-haired one seemed to take interest when he heard the name 'Noel', sparing a glance over at Lambda and blinking in surprise, as if he knew who she was. Saber didn't miss it.

"Don't think I'll let you harm my Master or his companion," she warned him.

He scowled in return. "Hey, we were just on our way over to help. You were the one who tried to cleave Archer in half!"

"Saver, stop it." Rin ordered.

"Saber, get back." Shirou said at the same time. He didn't want bad blood to erupt here, at least anymore than it already had.

Both of them scowled at each other for a moment, but complied, taking several steps back and lowering their weapons, though they still eyed each other warily.

"Archer, go back into spirit form," Rin ordered her other Servant. He didn't say anything as he obeyed, though his face seemed turn into a scowl when he looked at Shirou. Probably angry Saber got the drop on him. Rin's gun suddenly flashed a bright silver light, and Shirou blinked in surprise when in its place was the silver cross she always carried around on her neck.

Maka in turn sighed, then looked at everyone. "Why don't we take this inside, alright?"

Quick glances were exchanged, then everyone nodded.

Shirou could tell this was gonna be a long night.

* * *

_**Some Distance Away (On a Rooftop)**_

Luvia watched with some interest as everyone slowly put their weapons down before heading inside. Next to her, Defender looked at her questionably.

"You didn't want to interfere?"

"I don't believe Emiya-san needs anymore headaches this night," she replied. "After all, my cease-fire with Tohsaka is still in effect until morning. It wouldn't do to make her think I have broken it. Besides, they had it rather admirably under control, and tonight wasn't a complete waste of our time."

After Rin had healed Shirou and they agreed to leave each other alone for the rest of the night, and Luvia had realized that Lancer would no doubt come after him once he realized he was alive.

Now, it wasn't as if she actually _liked _Emiya or anything. Sure, he was a nice guy and all during the time she had gotten to know him, but he was also friends with Rin, and such an effort to get closer to him would probably result in something or someone getting blown to pieces. She had simply decided to follow him because she didn't want to sleep with his second 'death' over her head.

As such, she had discreetly watched Shirou (after she took care of the blood stains left on the floor. _That_ would cause some trouble otherwise come morning.) until he made it back home, upon which she would have had Defender intervene when Lancer attacked, but the string of events that followed, including someone who could fight on a Servant's level, the summoning of Servant Saber herself, the resulting clash, and now the standoff with Rin and them entering the building, had strayed her hand.

Especially of note was that Archer seemed to obey Rin as if _she_ was his Master, and not someone else. Perhaps said Master was simply incompetent and had ordered their Servant to obey her in the field? ...Maybe, but unlikely.

And now Rin had another potential ally in this War. The Saber class, even summoned under someone like Shirou, who probably wasn't the best Magi around, was a deadly foe, and combined with Archer's ranged abilities and what she had seen of Saver's, it would be a formidable team.

Of course, there was always the option of offering a temporary alliance, or at least a long-term conditional cease-fire agreement, until the situation changed.

Either way, this would require some planning.

"Let's go, Defender," she told him. "We're retiring for the night."

Luvia turned around, but then stopped when she realized that her Servant was still staring at the group as they left, his gaze seemingly on one in particular, of whom Luvia could hazard a guess was Saber. She also noticed just the faintest trembling in his frame.

"Defender, are you alright?" she asked with concern. Did he somehow recognize the female Servant? Was she someone he once knew, as impossible the odds were? Stranger coincidences had happened in history.

A moment more, then the trembling stopped. Defender turned around, the picture of dignity.

"I'm quite fine, Master," he answered. "Just... some memories."

She had a feeling if she saw his face, it would be a different story, but she didn't pry. Enough had happened tonight for her. One more mystery could wait until morning.

"Then let us go," she said firmly, but not harshly. This time, Defender followed her.

'What are the odds she would appear as well? Perhaps it is fate... my king...'

* * *

_**Ryuudou Temple**_

Albert opened his eyes, taking a moment to stand up from his work and stretch his limbs.

"So, the final Servant has at last been summoned?" he said to seemingly no one in particular.

"Indeed," came Conqueror's voice. Turning his head, Albert beheld the white-haired man staring at him seemingly amused. "I sensed a sudden surge of Prana through the leylines, consistent with that of a Servant being summoned. The Holy Grail War is about to begin."

Albert grinned to himself. Finally, after so much waiting, it was time.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Conqueror asked him.

"I'm sending Assassin on his first real mission aside from spying," he answered. "He's been kinda bored lately. A fight should get him ready for what's to come. You?"

"Stockpiling more Prana," came the response. "I've no need to hunt any Servants down just yet." A glance towards the item on the table. "Though I'm curious exactly what it is _you're _doing with all that power..."

Albert's grin became slightly colder. "If you're lucky, you'll find out soon enough."

Conqueror simply huffed, then turned around and exited. "I intend to."

The door was closed.

"...He's dangerous."

Albert turned to the rematerialized-Assassin, who had been waiting within the room. He was a slender, yet fairly muscular young man of average height, with fairly short messy black hair, pale white skin, a black upper lip, and green eyes with cat-like pupils. Part of his bangs fell between his eyes, and he had thick eyebrows. Thin teal lines descended from the lower half of his eyes down his face, giving the impression he was crying. In fact, his face, while handsome, seemed to have been sculpted to be the epitome of melancholy, which wasn't helped by the frown that always seemed to be on his face. In terms of attire, he wore a white jacket with a rather high collar and long coattails, black sash, white hakama, black socks, and white sandals. At his side was sheathed a standard-sized katana with a green handle and sheath, and the guard had two curved extensions from its long sides with a line going through both sides, giving it an eye-like appearance. Upon his head, the most interesting part of his appearance was the broken horned helmet on the top-left side.

"Yes, but the most useful allies are inherently the most dangerous ones," Albert replied. "As long as I satisfy him, he will not betray us until near the end, by which point I will have already arranged a plan to deal with him."

The pale Servant did not answer, simply nodding. Loyal like a guard dog, that one was. Slayer was certainly powerful in her own right, in many ways much more interesting, and the Servant whom he actually liked the most, but for missions like this he needed someone who would obey unconditionally and without hesitation.

Besides, he needed Slayer to stay here and stand guard, as well as watch Conqueror while he himself continued working on the item in question that would win him this Holy Grail War, a task that Slayer would no doubt carry out with gusto. Not to mention his other trump card...

"Anyways, here's your assignment. You are to leave here and-"

* * *

_**Random Part of Miyama Town**_

Edgar looked out of a window of the apartment building that he had managed to rent for a few days during his people's trip to Fuyuki. They had arrived just this morning and had spent the whole day getting settled in. Behind him, Starrk was crashed on a couch snoring, Lyn was watching TV and attempting to get back up to speed on her spoken Japanese, Beast was reading a book next to him, and their bags were all sewn about, some emptied, some still packed, and others only in the state of being unpacked then left alone.

Hey, they had time and it wasn't like it would really matter. One way or another, it would get unpacked eventually. They just needed to find the motivation or need to do so.

Also there was the matter of finalizing Beast's cover for their time here, despite the Servant's heavy objection to the notion. In the end though, he had been forced to go along with it, though that didn't mean he couldn't do it without any grumblings.

However, such thoughts were far from Edgar's mind as he gazed out onto the nightscape of Fuyuki. So much was different, yet in the nearly 130 years he had been here last personally, it still had that same feel as before. The power in the air was just as strong as back then.

And the tension was just as pungent.

"Beast," he told his Servant, who looked up from his book, Redwall, to glance at him. "I think it's about time we went out for a scouting trip."

He nodded, shutting the book. "As you wish. About time we did something aside from waiting around."

He turned to Lyn. "We're heading out. Keep an eye out."

She waved at us dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Just lock the door on the way out."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever Lyn."

Beast watched with some level of interest, probably at the casual indifference they were using, being boss and employee, but shook his head. In the time he had been in OSG, he had quickly become something of a straight-man to some of the wackier people. He had turned down Anderson's suggestion to a spar, ignored Lyn's ramblings, walked away from a drunken Enhance and Harbinger without seemingly affronted by their behavior, had made small talk with both Jeanne and Giro, ignored Trixie's eccentrics for the dramatic (though he secretly was impressed with her grasp on magic), listened to Ciel's more long-winded explanations, and tolerated Chryssie's questioning of his true identity (though he was rather surprised at the nature of her and his Master's... partnership).

He later described them as 'strange... but interesting folk you've surrounded yourself with.'

For Edgar, that was one of the best compliments he had ever gotten about his team.

His eyes then fell on the still-sleeping Starrk, and he suppressed a hidden shudder. Though it wasn't the man himself he feared, it was his voice. He hadn't noticed it when they first met, but later encounters made Beast realize that Starrk's voice was a deadringer for the one existence he truly feared above all others. Even though he knew they were nothing alike, he still couldn't help but imagine that cold feeling grip him.

'Even in another life, your voice still haunts me, eh grandfather?'

He shook his head and looked back towards Edgar, who was waiting by the door. He quickly joined him, and they prepared to exit the room.

"Seriously though..."

They turned back to see a serious-faced Lyn, concern on her features. "...Be careful, all right?" Her gaze turned to Beast. "And watch him like a hawk, you hear me, Beast? The guy can't take care of himself."

They both nodded, Edgar's face rolling its eyes while Beast chuckled. "I shall be as a gargoyle perched on a rooftop."

"How the heck you'll get off to help is beyond me then."

With that, they opened the door and left, shutting it tight behind them as Beast astralized.

* * *

_**Fuyuki Church**_

Shirou and Rin stood in front of the headquarters of the Church mediator, Saber and Saver standing by their respective Masters as they gazed upon it. After some exposition by Rin (who was both a Magus and Master of _two _Servants, which was certainly new but didn't surprise Shirou. It certainly explained her actions the past several days rather well.) as well as Maka and Soul (who were both veterans of the previous Grail War as Servants, but again, it wasn't mind-blowing to him. It certainly explained why on Earth they never seemed to get tired no matter how much they sparred with him back in the day.), along with some added bits from Saber (who knew Maka and Soul rather well due to being a former fighter in the previous Holy Grail War. That was certainly new, but her reaction to seeing them before coming out and saying it took some of the shock value away. Though the fact that Kiritsugu was apparently her Master was certainly a real big shock factor.), he now had a clearer idea of what was going on. He knew more about the Grail, being a device created by the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri (now Matou) families made to reach the Root, the Command Seals, three absolute commands that he could give to his Servant and they'd have to obey, and finally his role as a Master and duties. Afterwards, Rin told him he had to go to the Church if he wanted some more info, to which he had accepted.

Maka, Soul, and Noel had opted to stay behind as guards of sorts. They apparently trusted Saber enough to keep him safe, and Rin was someone who wouldn't hurt Shirou willingly. They, on the other hand, were going to make sure nothing else happened at the residence tonight.

"I'm not leaving this place without a guard from here on out," Maka had said. "I think Soul and I will be staying here for the foreseeable future."

Her tone made it rather obvious there would be no arguing that point.

Shirou himself was taking all of this rather well. Then again, he had just witnessed a battle between legendary heroes, killed by one, revived, almost killed again, learned his honorary aunt and uncle were in fact survivors of an ancient ritual, thrown around like a ragdoll, summoned his own Servant, watched several battles, found out he was a Master, learned one of his friends was a Master, and then chatting in the still fine dining room, so he was still in some form of shock. He'd probably freak out come morning, but not quite yet.

As such, the four (well, technically five, but Archer wasn't doing anything with that slash wound Saber gave him and was in spirit form.) of them had gone walking towards the Church.

Along the way, Shirou asked Rin a question that had been biting at him for a little bit.

"So... Maka and Soul are Servants, huh?" he asked her. "You took that rather well."

Rin snorted. "Could say the same for you."

"I'm just sort of running on shock factor right now," he replied. "I'll probably freak when I wake up in the morning and realize this wasn't all just a dream."

Rin chuckled slightly, but her expression was still in a mask of expressionless. "That'd be nice, huh..."

Silence, only broken by the sound of their feet on the ground.

"...I guess," Rin started, causing Shirou to blink for a moment as he realized she was answering his question. "I always suspected, deep down. After what happened to my uncle Kariya..."

"The accident?" Shirou asked. Neither she nor Sakura ever talked about it, save that Kariya had saved Sakura from something horrible, but Shirou had a sinking suspicion on exactly why she was bringing it up right now...

A glance, but she didn't confirm it, just continuing on. "The two guys who brought Sakura home safely told us to tell Sakura that 'Maka and Soul kept their promise.' I guess I always had a feeling they had something to do with it. Tonight just confirmed it."

Shirou was keenly aware of the fact that the night seemed to get a whole lot more silent as she talked. When she finished, they passed the time in relative silence.

Admittedly, the four of them made a somewhat inconspicuous lot. Rin was in her normal clothing and Saver was currently clad in casual wear, which was basically a simplified version of his red coat, a black shirt, pants shoes and gloves, which gave off the look of a delinquent when combined with his hair. Shirou, on the other hand, was still wearing his school uniform, tears, blood and all, and Saber... was wearing a yellow poncho over her armor.

Apparently, due to her incomplete summoning (something Rin had berated/teased him about directly and indirectly throughout the entire time they were talking with Maka, Soul, and Noel), she was incapable of entering spirit form, and since no one had a change of clothes that currently fit her (Noel threw out all of her old clothes when they got too small and she was too tall for Saber's size.) they had to do with something of a replacement in case anyone saw them. Saber herself seemed somewhat uncomfortable with it, while Saver looked like he was trying to hold back a very rude laugh. Shirou resolved to find a more proper-fitting wardrobe come morning.

Anyways, they had finally made it in front of their destination. Rin turned to Shirou.

"Well, let's go."

Shirou nodded, then looked at the Servants. "You guys coming?"

Saver shook his head, giving the church a once-over. "Nah, I'm good." The look on his face briefly flashed nostalgic, and it wasn't of the good kind. Shirou wisely chose not to comment.

Saber shook her head. "No thank you, Master. I'll stay out here."

Shirou sighed. He figured he might as well get this little bit out of the way right now. "Look Saber, please stop calling me Master. I don't have any wish, but if you do, then you can just consider us partners, alright? And partners don't call each other 'Master'."

Saber was silent for a moment, then a small smile curled her lips. "I see... yes, I understand. 'Shirou', then. I like the sound of that much better."

Shirou nodded, smiling slightly. The moment was then interrupted by Rin's sudden coughing fit.

Shirou looked over at her, noticing her slightly annoyed expression, which carried over into her tone. "Well, if you two are done with that little bonding bit, mind if we get this over with? We're not exactly allies you know."

Shirou rolled his eyes and followed her up the steps. "What, you jealous or something?"

A small blush appeared on Rin's face. "N-No! Don't be ridiculous!"

Shirou was certain he heard Saver chuckling in the background, but ignored it as they opened the mighty wooden doors, seeing into the barely illuminated hall.

"Father Kirei?" Rin shouted into the darken room. "I brought the last Master here!"

Silence.

"...What, no 'fake priest'?" Shirou couldn't help but ask, using Rin's own words for him. She turned to him with an annoyed, but slightly amused expression.

"That's for private matters," she replied simply.

"And the Holy Grail War is no simple private matter," came a familiar voice, snapping both of them to attention. Out of the shadows, the familiar figure of Fuyuki Church's one and only priest made himself known. "Welcome Rin Tohsaka and... ah, Shirou Emiya," he said with a slightly amused expression. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Well, this was the first time Shirou had seen Kirei Kotomine since the wedding about a year or two ago. The man hadn't change that much, quite honestly, save for longer hair. He nodded his head. "It has indeed, Father."

* * *

_**Outside**_

Saber and Saver stood awkwardly outside the building like a pair of bodyguards, though any guard worth his salt would take one look at them both in their attire and probably fall over laughing. Still, either one of them would be a match for any would-be do-baddies prowling the streets at this time of night, though they'd probably be confident, bolstered by some drinks, in thinking they could take a girl in a poncho and a fellow thuggish-looking guy.

Maybe if they had sunglasses...

Saver kept casting brief glances towards Saber every now and then, a fact which the female Servant was aware of and actively sought to ignore. She wouldn't have minded if said glances were simply worrisome ones, which was a given considering what happened not that long ago. However, there also appeared to be somewhat nostalgic as well, as if she reminded him of someone he once knew. She attempted to keep herself occupied by attempting to observe the surroundings, but it was the middle of the night, and sadly little, even to her enhanced senses, to occupy herself with.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She turned her head to look directly at Saver right when he was looking towards her.

"Yes?" she asked bluntly.

Saver blinked when he realized he had been caught red-handed, quickly turning away. "Nothing," he grumbled.

"Obviously it's something," she replied. "Considering you've been doing this for the past five minutes, I believe I have a right to know why."

Saver remained stubbornly silent. Saber continued to stare at him tensely, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the poncho. Finally, she gave up, looking away.

"You remind me of my siblings..."

Saber looked back at him, surprised. She honestly didn't expect an answer, having only confronted him in an effort to make him stop. Saver had his arms crossed while staring straight ahead, but she could tell he had a bit of a faraway look in his eyes as he spoke.

"Physically, you remind me of my little sister, because you kind of remind me how she might have looked if she got to be your age. Personality-wise, you're a bit more like my brother."

"...Should I be honored?"

"Don't be," he immediately said. "He was a complete little prick... even if he got better after a long while. You two have the same kind of eyes though."

"Really?" Despite herself, Saber found herself listening intently to his words. Perhaps it was boredom, or perhaps she figured this might be a good way to get some insight into a potential ally. Either way, she was paying attention. "In what way?"

"That cold determination to take down your opponent, no matter how powerful they might be. Kind of aloof and distant. Kind of an asshole like him too. You've got two things going for you in that you don't get all trigger-happy when you're excited like him though, and you're not as rude."

Scowling at the 'asshole' part, she stared at him for a second, noticing his tone and face. It was angry and annoyed, but it was mixed with some sadness, as if he wasn't completely sold on what he was saying.

"You say it like you hate him."

"I do. The bastard caused a whole lot of pain and was a huge pain in my ass." His expression softened, but still scowling. "...but he was still my little brother. I still cared about him even then, and I still do."

Her own expression softened slightly as well. She could sense his inner feelings in his tone, and she knew he was being genuine.

Silence descended on them again. This time, it was Saber who broke it.

"It's strange."

"What?"

"You claim I remind you of your family, and at the same time I myself can't help but compare you to one of my knights."

"Knights?" Saver asked. "What, you're a king?"

Saber mentally cursed herself when she realized that she had just given away a clue to her identity. Well, no use of backing down now; she would just have to choose her words carefully.

"...Yes, I was... am, I suppose," she answered. "But back to the matter at hand. Among my knights, there was one in particular who was quite like you. He was headstrong, brave, powerful, wore red, and even carried a massive blade, though nothing like yours I'm afraid."

"Wow, it's like my doppelganger in medieval times."

"He was also somewhat foul-mouthed, had a problem with authority, and had an explosively short temper," she added. "Several times I wondered if I should have just had him stripped of his rights or even banished."

"...Up yours, Saber," he scowled, but, like she had been earlier, seemed interested in what what being said.

"I'm not jesting," she told him. "He was everything that I just told you. But despite his flaws, he was also one of the most devoted members of my army. He had a straightforward sense of chivalry, one of the best among my men, and always performed with the ideal of the perfect knight at heart. He worked without end to move past those flaws, and when he couldn't do that, he instead chose to conceal and minimize them as much as possible, all to bolster to the kingdom the image of the ideal warrior, the likes of which you only find in storybooks. He held my word as law, and willingly carried out my orders. In his eyes, I was the right hand of God, my requests divine orders to be obeyed without question."

Saver gave her a look as he heard the slowly mounting pride in her voice. Whoever this guy was, he certainly commanded her respect.

Yet her words were tainted by melancholy, and he knew this story wouldn't have a happy ending.

"And?"

"...The fault lies with me," she said, her voice lowering as sadness took it. "In the end, when he asked a request of me, a boon for everything he had done, I refused. I deemed him unworthy, though I confess I had my own... personal reasonings for it. I never realized just how wounded, how betrayed he felt at my words, and so his devotedness turned to hatred. He led a great rebellion against me, claiming the king could not and never would understand the people who served him, and faced me in single combat."

"And then you killed him."

She lowered her head even further, shame apparent in both her voice and manner. "With my own blade and two hands. I will never forget the look he gave me as he died, tears in his eyes as he fell a betrayer. Not a day goes by now, upon reflection, that I regret my role in it, and how much I wish I could ask for his forgiveness, something I do not deserve."

Silence descended on them both again. Saber risked a glance towards her fellow Servant. His face was carefully neutral with just the hint of his ever-present frown, but he no longer radiated the mistrust and wariness of before after their initial clash. It was still there, but lessened greatly.

For some reason, that lifted Saber's spirits better than any sort of spoken words. She responded in thanks by lowering her own levels of wariness and suspicion, which in turn made him relax his guarding stance around her a little more. Apparently, he accepted the peace offering. The proverbial ice was melting and cracking apart.

Both turned their heads to the sound of the Church doors suddenly opening, thankful that their Masters hadn't heard these little trips down memory lane. Before Rin and Shirou were visible though, they both heard a familiar voice, Saver because he heard it when Rin brought him and Archer to be officially registered, and Saber because it was that of her former Master's greatest enemy. She stiffened at the words, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Rejoice then, Shirou Emiya, for your wish shall be granted at last."

'What is Kirei Kotomine doing here alive?' she wondered as her Master and his ally came out and down the steps. 'Kiritsugu was many things, but he made sure to kill those he thought were threats. Why would he leave him alive before destroying the Grail...'

But another question she was making a mental note of asking Maka and Soul, among them being Kiritsugu's whereabouts, Maiya, when on Earth Shirou had been adopted by the man she could honestly say she hated beneath few others and how he turned out like he did under him, and exactly how the two of them were still alive and battle capable, yet without Masters. She was seriously out of the loop, and she wanted answers.

Of course, first things first, with that being getting back. She shifted her expression to a neutral one, staring at the two Masters. She took note of the fact that Shirou seemed to be disturbed slightly by whatever the priest had spoken of, who had probably gone into great detail of what exactly everything would entail.

If that was the case, then good. Perhaps this way, Shirou would be better prepared for the following battles, such as staying back while she fought for him as his Serv- _partner_, she corrected herself. Caster's last gift aside, she was still weaker than she would have liked and would prefer if her Master understood that she might not be able to protect him if he got involved directly.

Besides, he seemed like a genuinely likeable, honorable young man, plus he was under the direct care of her two friends. She couldn't in good conscience let anything horrible happen to him.

"Shirou?" she asked him. "Are you alright?"

Her words seemed to jolt him out of his trance, blinking for a moment as he focused on Saber. "Huh? Oh! I'm fine, I'm fine, Saber," he replied, wavering her off. "Just... thinking a little."

Saber's gaze turned over to Rin, who was watching with a slightly amused expression on her face. She radiated confidence in herself and her Servants, yet also seemed to have a little worm of doubt gnawing at that supposed invincibility. She understood she wasn't unstoppable, despite her numerical Servant advantage, and so took steps to fix that, allying with strong fighters and those she could trust to stay true to their pacts. Saber had to respect that. The daughter of the Tohsaka seemed like she would be a viable ally in the coming days, her temper aside.

'This time, I may yet win the Holy Grail,' she thought to herself as they began walking once more, back to the (relative) safety of the Emiya Residence. 'The odds are stacked in our favor this time around, and if things go well, I'll be able to keep Shirou safe until the end.'

She was vaguely aware of Rin and Shirou talking in front of her, something about parting ways at an upcoming intersection, but tuned it out. She was a king after all, and thus knew about diplomacy and the subtle signs. The way Rin had occasionally stressed the fact they would at some point be enemies yet had agreed to escort Shirou to the Church safely without any trouble, coming to her Master's aid when she thought he would die, even in the way that they talked less like allies of convenience and more as friends.

"Thanks for everything tonight, Rin," she heard Shirou say. "It means a lot to me."

"...Idiot," she heard her reply, though her voice lacked any sort of malice. "thank me by not getting killed off too early."

Shirou chuckled. "Don't worry. I promise."

Rin stood there awkwardly for a moment, staring at him as if daring him to say he was joking, then turned around with a quick hand through her hair, Saver following her while rolling his eyes. "Well... bye then."

Saber had little doubt that Rin would be approaching them soon with the offer of alliance, and if she chose not to tonight, then most likely at some point tomorrow. If not for Shirou's value as a potential asset, then certainly as a friend.

Friend... come to think of it, she wasn't very well-versed in that subject matter to make assumptions based on that, so she turned that thought away, instead focusing on potential battle strategy.

'Even if I am weaker this time around, Maka and Soul can more than make up for it, and Archer and Saver appear to be capable warriors in their own right. What Servant could possibly be powerful enough to stand against four of us at once...'

A brief memory of another red-clad insane Servant, surrounded by his nightmarish army of undead, as well as a smirking golden-armored Servant, wielding a drill-sword that shattered the very fabric of space-time, flashed through her mind, making her retract her previous thought.

'On second thought, never mind. After all, the Fourth War had its share of unbelievably powerful warriors capable of facing all of the other Servants in direct combat at once. This one might not be that different in that regard. Though I shudder to think of what could top the previous ones...'

"What, leaving already?" A child's voice lanced through the night air.

Suddenly, Rin and Saver stopped walking, and she herself was aware of two presences near the four of them, one not even attempting to hide its presence (or perhaps it was and it was just _that _powerful. She could almost imagine the aura of power it was giving off.). She immediately moved in front of Shirou and cast aside her poncho (secretly glad she was free of it) and grimly noticed Saver doing something similar with Rin, already back in his Servant attire and holding his blade. The two of them gave each other a glance before she focused her attention upon their opponent.

Her eyes briefly widened as they caught sight of the visible figure, red eyes staring at her from its small, purple winter clothing. The figure was female, practically a child, and her appearance, white hair along with the previously-mentioned red eyes, immediately reminded Saber of a very particular member of the Einzbern family.

'Irisviel...'

In fact, upon closer inspection, she was the spitting (well, slightly older spitting) image of Kiritsugu and Irisviel young daughter, the only one who Kiritsugu seemed to show less the cold killer image he portrayed normally and more that of an actual father. For a moment, she actually wondered what became of that little girl, what she had done when she learned what became of her mother and what her father had done.

However, she shook those thoughts out of her mind. Regardless of semblance, this little girl in front of them couldn't be the same one she saw all those years ago. She was too young, and ten years was still enough time for that child to mature like her mother Irisviel by the time of this War. No doubt this girl was just a completely new homunculus unrelated to Iri. After all, all Einzbern homunculi physically resemble each other in some form after creation, so that would explain the resemblance.

In addition, she could almost feel the hatred radiating off of her, and she couldn't believe that that smiling, happy little girl from a decade ago could ever give off such an emotion, made even more chilling by the smile on her face, so like a child.

"The night is still young you know," she continued, not at all perturbed by the two Servants not quite pointing their weapons at her, still speaking innocently. "Well... not really, I guess, but still enough to find some quality entertainment."

"You..." Saber heard Shirou mutter.

"You know this girl, Shirou?" Rin asked, having also heard it and not taking her eyes off the white-haired girl.

"Yeah..." he slowly said, "we met in the park about a day ago, said something about summoning 'it'..."

"And you did, Onii-chan!" the girl interrupted triumphantly, like she just won a prize. "I was actually getting worried you wouldn't when I learned that only the Saber-class was left to be filled out of fourteen Servants, but I guessed right! Now I won't feel as bad about what happens now."

Saber felt her eyes widen. 'Fourteen!?' she wondered quickly, then allowed her shock to cool when she thought back to Avenger in the last War, as well as Saver right here with her. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising, especially when one considered that this War had happened in 1/6th of the usual time. Who was to say it was the only irregularity?

It just meant there would be more to eliminate in order to receive the Grail.

"Who are you?" Shirou called out to her, interrupting Saber's little thought process and snapping her back to attention. She was getting distracted; that wasn't good.

The white-haired girl performed a brief curtsey. "I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, but you may call me Ilya."

"Einzbern?" Rin said, and Saber was certain she sensed a brief thrill of dread in her voice. "Then you really are a Master."

"That's right, Tohsaka-san!" the now-named Ilya said cheerfully, but her tone carried a darker meaning with her next words. "But... there's something else I've been looking forward to besides the Holy Grail."

Her gaze settled on Shirou, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "And that's killing you, Onii-chan."

Saber had heard enough. She had to end this before it got out of hand. Her body tensed, getting ready to attack.

"Shirou, stay back!" she called to him.

"Saver, back her up!" Rin yelled. Saver just nodded grimly as he tensed as well.

Ilya didn't lose her smile for a second. "Well, this is getting fun, and it would be so rude keep you waiting. I'll enjoy this." Suddenly, a burst of Prana erupted around the little girl. "Come! Berserker!"

The mad Servant materialized behind Ilya, his red tattooed form overshadowing her like some demonic guardian. Saber and Saver briefly faltered at the look in his white eyes, befitting his class as they seemed aflame with anger, his aura almost physical like a red mist. However, they steeled themselves and charged with a yell, Saber using Prana Burst in a rush of wind, and Saver quickly followed with his arm engulfed in darkness. Berserker bounded forward to meet them, golden-armored fists pulled back to launch forward.

"COME ON!" he screamed in defiance.

A somewhat-sane Berserker. Not the strangest thing she had seen.

"Be careful, Saber!" Shirou yelled as they neared each other.

"Kill them all, Berserker!" Ilya roared.

Then they clashed, and Saber found herself experiencing deja vu: Fighting a potentially superior opponent that could kill her easily alongside a comrade with attitude whom she was growing to trust despite herself.

Yes, she was definitely in the Holy Grail War once again.

* * *

**Now how's _that _for a cliffhanger? Next time: Battle in the streets, and more Servants arrive!**

**And I'm pretty sure people now know who Assassin is from what I've revealed. However, there's something more to Assassin than meets the eye... and I'm certain that people know what at least one fight match-up in the future will be.**

**As for Caster, I doubt anyone would recognize him at this point, but I'll give a hint: He's from the same universe as one of the previous Servants.**

**(Fun Fact: Beast's grandfather and Coyote Starrk have the same English voice actor: Keith Silverstein. And in the former role especially, he's just _BADASS_. Part of the fun of watching his scenes in their game is listening to his crazy-as-hell ramblings and shouting chew up the scenery, especially with the dragon...)**

**Anyways, on to the next Servant Skill Sheet! This one's a two-er!**

Servant: Lancer

Master: Bazett Fraga McRemitz

Identity: Cu Chulainn

Title: The Blue Spearman of the Wind

Series- Fate/stay Night

Sex: Male

Alignment: Lawful Neutral (Lawful Mad under Mad Enhancement)

Strength: A (A++)*  
Endurance: B (B++)*  
Agility: A+ (B)*  
Mana: B (A+)*  
Luck: E (E+)*  
Noble Phantasm: B

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Warp Spasm_)

_Class Skills-_

Mad Enhancement- Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills.

C: Rank up for all parameters except Luck and Mana, but in exchange one can no longer think and speak properly. In Cu Chulainn's case, this is only active upon using his Noble Phantasm _Warp Spasm_._  
_

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

C: Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

A: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

(A+: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive even if one receives a decisively fatal wound, though they will succumb to such wounds once the battle is over.)*

Disengage- The ability to break away from combat.

C: Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match.

Divinity- The measure of one's Divine Spirit aptitude.

B: Cu Chulainn is the demigod son of Lugh, the god who governed the sun and member of the Danann divine family of Celtic mythology.

Rune Magic- Knowledge about this type of Magecraft that originated in northern Europe.

B: Capacity to use the 18 original runes.

Protection From Arrows- An increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectiles' trajectories through exceptional means, such as hearing the sound of air being cut, or sensing the killing intent of the enemy.

B: (An inborn ability of Cu Chulainn; as long as the shooter is within his line of sight, he can track down ranged weapons with his eyes and defend against them. Does not apply for attacks made from super-long-range or with a great area-of-effect).

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Warp Spasm_)

_Noble Phantasm:_

Gáe Bolg- The Spear of Impaling Barbed Death: B: (Anti-Unit) *Not putting a description because it's the exact same as canon*

Gáe Bolg- The Spear of Striking Death Flight: B+: (Anti-Army) *Same as the first*

Warp Spasm- Madness of the Warrior: A+: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): A strange supernatural ability recorded in legends, similar in many ways to the berserk rage of the Norse. But while the Norse berserker only becomes one in mind only, pushing the still-normal body to and beyond its natural limits, the Warp Spasm ellipses it several times over, literally changing the user's body in addition to its mind. When activated, Cu Chulainn loses all coherence and changes to a monster from age long past both in body and mind, the latter filled with pure primal fury, and the former changed to a constantly-shifting engine of destruction that throws rationality out the window. He possesses limited regeneration in this form, which means only total dismemberment or utter eradication will kill him now, healing broken bones, shifting insides to avoid fatal strikes, and even reattaching severed limbs if held near the stump. However, Cu Chulainn loses access to all other Noble Phantasms or skills requiring rational thought upon activation, though he can still use Gáe Bolg itself as a simple spear. In addition, the only way for him to stop it is by his own conscious will or by usage of a Command Seal. Being rendered unconscious (if that it is even possible) will not deactivate it.

**And now, on to Rider!**

Servant: Rider

Master: Waver Velvet (Lord El-Melloi II)

Identity: Death the Horseman

Title: The Pale Rider

Series- Darksiders

Sex: Male

Alignment: True Neutral

Strength: A (A++)*  
Endurance: C+ (A+)*  
Agility: A (A+)*  
Mana: B (A++)*  
Luck: E (D+)*  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Reaper Form_)

_Class Skills-_

Independent Action- The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master. At the higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract.

C: Capable of remaining in this world for one day without an established contract. While not an Archer-class Servant, Death once willing went on his own quest across the realm to redeem his brother War without the knowledge of the Charred Council, and this independence from the supposedly omnipotent Council manifests in the form of this Skill.

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

D: Cancel Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy.

Riding- The expertise to ride animals and vehicles.

A+: Creatures on the level of _Phantasmal Beast_ and _Divine Beast_ can be used as mounts. However, that does not apply to members of the _Dragon Kind_. Death is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and has ridden both his Phantom Steed Despair and griffins of the Angels.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

A: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

Double Summon- A rare personal skill possessed only by a select few Servants, it permits a Servant to simultaneously possess class skills from two distinct classes.

E: Allows Death to use magic at the same level of ability he had in life, though he lacks any of the class skills of a Caster-class Servant.

Divinity- The measure of one's Divine Spirit aptitude.

D+: As a Nephilim, and thus born of both Angels and Demons, Death possesses some level of Divinity, which is enhanced by his status as one of the Four Horsemen. However, due to the demonic taint, it receives several ranks down.

Eye For Art- Infatuation with works of art.

E: Death personally believes that killing is an art. If he sees a Noble Phantasm that is extremely deadly to opponents, he might be able to figure out any potential weaknesses in it from a single observation.

Eye of the Mind (True)- A heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.

B: Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

High-Speed Divine Words- The power to activate Thaumaturgy without the use of Magic Circuits. The language of the Age of Gods, back when words played a heavy role in spellcasting. As such, it is power long lost by modern magi.

A: High-Thaumaturgy-level Magecraft can be cast at the speed of Single-Action spells. These manifest in the form of his Wrath Powers.

Monstrous Strength- An ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill.

C: Capable of performing this due to his Demon origins, but his angelic blood hampers it.

_Noble Phantasm-_

Despair- Phantom Horse of the Damned: C: (Anti-Unit): Death's faithful steed. A skeletal emaciated horse, he has a glowing green haze emanating from within his body and his eyes glow with the same green light as well. His skin is mostly torn and somewhat rotted with some of his bones showing, but he is more powerful than any normal horse could ever be. However, he has no special powers of his own aside from being able to be summoned from theoretically anywhere for a surprise distraction, simply serving as his Master's mount.

Dust- Guide of the Lost: E: (Anti-Unit): Death's crow and guide, given to him by the Crowfather. While completely lacking in terms of offense or defense, he instead serves as Death's spy. Whatever Dust sees, Death will see as well due to a psychic link, though it can only be used to its fullest extent (as in shown with sound and the like along with images) if they have physical contact.

Soul Splitter- Blessing of the Lord of Bones: B: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): An ability given to Death by the Lord of Bones, king of the dead. When used, Death's soul is freed from his body, which turns to stone, and then splits in two. The resulting two 'Deaths' are made of pure Prana, one green and one purple. Death's now stone body is immobile but extremely durable, requiring an (A+)-Ranked magic attack to so much as make a scorch mark upon. His spiritual bodies have the same powers and strengths as the original and, after much training, are telepathically linked to allow simultaneous movement and combo attacks, but take damage, are physically weaker in Endurance (D) and can't be separated too far from the main body before remerging into one being. Also, while it is impossible to kill Death while he's in this form, if by some chance that one or more of the three beings is slain, Death will forcibly remerge again, weakened proportional to the number slain, and will retain any injuries his three bodies received in the form of scars or burns.

Reaper Form- The Harbinger of Death: A+: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Death's true form. Upon activation, Death becomes surrounded in a burst of purple, ghostly Prana which encapsulates his body briefly. Once it fades, Death stands reborn in all his glory: His body becomes bigger and more skeletal, covered in a large robe of blue, purple and black with a cowl that completely obscures his now-unmasked face in shadow, with only his gaunt, yet muscled and armored arms free. Great skeletal wings sprout from his back, and he hovers slightly above the ground at all times, a thick purple mist flowing from underneath him to give the impression of fog. In his hands he grips a massive two-handed scythe befitting his name of Death, with many skulls engraved into the flat of the blade. He can also use it briefly or manifest parts (like the arms) during battle or other needed occasions, though then it's only a partial transformation: It's much smaller and ghostly in comparison, a transparent purple and smokey, and also weaker as a result.

**Well, that's all for this chapter! Remember to review, fav, and follow people!**

**(Note: I'm gonna start cutting back on updates from here on out, due to school work demanding more of my time and lack of a muse to write recently. Not to mention I need to update another story of mine... *glance towards 'RD's FNAF*... and people have been clamoring for an update to that for awhile. So, expect updates every... I don't know, two weeks or so? Still, I'm writing as best as I can. 'Till next time, people!)**


	5. Big Damn Heroes (Or Not)

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare! Finally back after a battle with my muse, but here I am!**

**And so it begins, the battle of family!**

**(Note: I made a slight edit to the last chapter regarding the hint to Caster's identity. Seriously, I've been changing the Servant for that class almost every week now. So many potential ideas!)**

**Also, things are gonna be happening pretty damn fast, so you might want to take this one a little slow.**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Fuyuki Streets (Nighttime)**_

Shirou Emiya was no stranger to combat. Despite his young age, he had been trained to use both the sword and the firearm by his family and teachers, and had learned his own unique style of Magecraft to enhance those abilities. He was a match for any trained soldier twice his age, and had more combat experience (training and mock, yes, but it was experience nonetheless) than most anyone his age. He would even go so far as to say he was confident he could fight and defeat any random street thug he met on a dark night, or even a group of them.

Yet in the span of a single night, that self-confidence in himself had been sorely tested at the hands of certain blue-haired man with a red spear, and had reaffirmed for him something his teachers always taught: No matter how good you might be, chances are there's someone out there that outclasses you in some way. A lesson that was painfully obvious to him as said man proceeded to kill him once, and would have done so again had Lady Luck not smiled upon him.

The fight unfolding before his eyes was just another piece of proof that he had a long way to go.

It was indescribable. The petite form of his Servant Saber was almost like a dancer in her fighting, her dress-armor flowing as she moved about the battlefield, using the invisible blade in her grip to strike at her opponent, wind blasting around her as she increased the power behind her blows or rocketed to and from the center of the combat zone, barely avoiding the strikes of her opponent as they whizzed by her. Her face was set in a determined line, flinching only slightly as her opponent's blows pulverized the ground around them and grimacing when he managed to counter her swings with his own attacks, his superior strength forcing her back everytime. Yet each time she returned to the fray, refusing to compromise against this opponent after her Master's blood.

Alongside her, the white-haired Saver roared both wordlessly and swear words as he fought the same opponent. His style was much more head-on, striking powerfully and directly, his great sword swinging almost effortlessly as he brought both hands to bear. He wasn't as fast as Saber, staggering slightly under the barely blocked blows of their opponent, but his attacks were much more powerful, occasionally staggering the enemy. Whereas wind seemed to be Saber's element, darkness was his: His right arm and blade shrouded in it as he attacked, his strikes occasionally taking the form of some mighty beast's sharp claws or teeth-filled jaws. Whenever they connected, bursts of red lights would suddenly leave the enemy, being absorbed by red-clad Servant and seemingly revitalizing him with each piece obtained, marks vanishing from his skin.

Opposing both of these warriors, the red-skinned, tattooed form of Berserker roared wordlessly as he moved like lightning, golden fists pulled back for powerful attacks as he matched Saber in speed and Saver in power, their attacks scraping off the armor of his arms in a stream of sparks while his blows pulverized the areas they had just barely vacated. His bare body carried some scars from where Saber and Saver struck, but they only seemed to inflame him to greater heights, his bare fist smashing into Saver's chest and sending him flying into a nearby light post, which snapped from the force and sent him careening still into a brick wall. That stopped him.

"Saver!" Rin yelled.

"Don't worry! I've got this," he roared back, wrenching himself out of the wall with a grimace, holding his chest with one hand. "But damn he hits like a truck."

Berserker had by this point turned his attention to Saber, who had managed to slice him across the chest with Prana Burst. Again, he gave no indication of being in pain, simply roaring as he swung his fist, to which she used another Prana Burst to match. Wind blasted about them as sword met hand for dominance, and hand won as Saber went back. Berserker followed up with another punch faster than Saber could react, and a sickening crunching noise sounded as Saber went flying, crashing into a nearby bench and smashing it to splinters.

"Saber!" Shirou yelled, mentally cursing his own powerlessness.

Berserker was on her in a flash, jumping up and fist cocked back for the finishing blow. Before he could though, Saver was in front of him with sword over his shoulder.

**"Carnage Scissors!" **he roared as he slammed the sword down on Berserker, slicing into his shoulder, then quickly twisted it around and swung upwards whilst simultaneously slashing the ground. **"I'll devour ya!"**

Two crossing spikes of black energy erupted at his words, stabbing into Berserker and sending him back while more red orbs were absorbed by Saver. He quickly turned to look at Saber, who was holding a hand towards her warped chest piece. "You alright?" he asked as he held out a hand.

Saber eyed him for a moment, then grasped it, pulling herself up. "I'm fine," she replied, then suddenly rushed in front of him, barely blocking another blow from the recovered Berserker, straining against it. "My thanks."

Berserker attempted to use his other arm, only to be countered by Saver's blade. "No prob," he answered her as he grimaced. "Still, one tough son of a bitch, isn't he?"

"Of course!" Ilya shouted from the sidelines, watching with almost childlike glee as Berserker forced them both back on the defensive. "Berserker's the strongest fighter of all the summoned Servants! No one can beat him in a battle like this!"

Rin gritted her teeth as she watched the battle continued, silently forced to concede that point. Despite taking more injuries than either of the other two combined, Berserker was still fighting as if they had just begun, not slowed in the slightest in speed or power, whereas Saber and Saver, still a little weakened from their previous battles, had begun to falter. If this continued, Berserker would win out of sheer endurance if nothing else.

That left two options: Have Saver use his most powerful Noble Phantasm and end it, or kill the Einzbern master herself.

Her hand lifted upwards towards her cross. It would be so simple: A quick transformation, line up the sights, pull the trigger, problem solved. Even if Ilya had training in defending herself, even she wouldn't be prepared for the weapon in Rin's arsenal. Also much less costly, as Saver's final Noble Phantasm was his trump card for the remaining Servants, and even that wasn't guaranteed to win this.

Could she really do it though: Kill someone in cold blood, even if said person was trying to kill both her and her friend? That had been a question she occasionally wondered during her training, and it was one she was never able to bring herself to answer. That damn fake priest's own words on the subject were vague at best: "In the end, one cannot answer that question, not until they've been placed into a situation of 'kill or be killed' in which there's no other option, and whether or not they're the one whose still standing while the other is laying on the ground in a pool of their own blood."

A glance towards Ilya, who stared back with a look of "Try it."

A glance towards Shirou, whose attention was on the battle, specifically on Saber, who was faltering more and more, her parries becoming slower and closer.

Memory of her father's words and his teachings: _"To be a Magus is to walk with death,"_ and her own desire to forge her own path.

The knowledge that Ilya would kill them both without a second thought once her Servant was through with this.

Finally, thoughts of her family and her desire to protect them.

Rin grabbed the cross around her neck and concentrated, a brief flash of light signalling its transformation. Her left arm, wrapped securely in its shroud, seemed to pulse in response, and darker thoughts started to enter her mind: Ideas of slaughtering this little upstart that dared to challenge her, ordering Saver to rip Berserker apart with his Noble Phantasm, taking Shirou and-

"Rin, what's wrong? And where'd that pistol come from?"

She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts and forcing her body to stop its involuntary shaking. That always happened whenever she summoned her weapon, but it had been a while since the reaction was that strong. She looked towards Shirou, who was staring at her with concern. The sight made her feel a little better, and she offered him a small smile.

"Don't worry about it Emiya," she replied, then looked towards Ilya, who was watching them with narrowed eyes, seemingly tensed for whatever they had ready.

Well, it wouldn't do to keep her waiting.

"Rin, you're not-"

Rin quickly lifted her silver Mystic Code upwards, lining up the sights directly on Ilya, who responded quickly by whipping her hand in strange motion. Rin allowed her mind to go blank as Kirei once taught her, working mechanically as she watched with an almost detached interest.

"Rin, don't!" Shirou yelled.

She fired.

_"Shape ist Leben!"_

Suddenly, thin metal wires appeared, each making a swishing noise as they formed a small dome-shaped shield in front of the homunculus. Rin's shot impacted with it just as it finished, causing the entire thing to rip apart, but, to her surprise, leaving Ilya unharmed. Perhaps it was just luck, or she had underestimated her opponent's ability.

The homunculus for her part seemed equal parts impressed and shocked. "Well Tohsaka-san, I didn't think you'd have such a powerful Mystic Code at your disposal," she told her, "or that you had the guts to use it. I would have thought my Transmutation Magecraft would be enough to defend against your jewels, but to think you had something like that..."

Rin grimaced, preparing to shoot again, but stopped when she became aware of Berserker charging straight at her, ignoring the two Servants and with even more flaming anger in his eyes.

In hindsight, maybe she should have went with the Noble Phantasm.

One of her Command Seals flared. _"Saver, to me!"_

Suddenly, she was aware of someone pushing her out of the way, followed by the sound of metal smashing against metal. Falling to the ground, she looked up, realizing that Saver had placed himself between Berserker and herself and was currently straining against him.

"Goddamnit Rabbit, couldn't you have just stayed out of this!?" he muttered as he started to lose ground. "Had it perfectly under control!"

Saber appeared behind Berserker in a flash and drove her blade into his back. The mad warrior roared in pain and turned on instinct, allowing Saver to push him back.

Rin was then aware of someone, who she realized was Shirou, quickly lifting her back to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly.

"I'm fine..." she muttered back.

"Don't worry about her Berserker!" Ilya called out. "Just focus on finishing the Servants!"

Berserker obeyed, jumping back to gain some room. Saber and Saver used that time to catch their breath, looking at each other.

"Have a plan?" Saber asked her comrade.

"One," he replied, "though it'll only last a few seconds."

"Do it then."

Saver grimaced, then lifted his right arm, the darkness gathering more and more around it. "Alright then... **Idea Engine, linked!**"**  
**

With a flash of darkness, his entire body became surrounded in the dark glow, blue energy wisps wafting off of him. Immediately, he charged, sword at the ready while Saber moved to back him up. Berserker's own body seemed to change as well, the tattoos suddenly glowing with an orange-red, as he prepared to meet them. The three Masters held their breaths as they prepared to clash once more-

_"Cero."_

Which was interrupted when a green blast of Prana came out of nowhere and consumed Berserker in a flash of light and explosion. The other two Servants came to a sudden stop at the suddenness of the attack, instinctively and immediately rushing back towards their Masters as they glanced about in search of the attacker. Ilya stared in shock at where her Servant had been but a moment before, then grinned when she saw movement within the dust cloud, proof her Servant was fine.

"Interesting..." came a quiet male voice. Casting about, the other participants looked upwards, seeing the pale figure of Assassin literally floating above them. "I had intended to eliminate the greatest threat, but it would appear I underestimated the power of the mad Servant..."

"Who the hell are you!?" Saver called out, the darkness from before vanishing from his body as its time was up. He cursed mentally. Now he just wasted one of his trump cards, and it would take awhile to recharge.

The Servant turned his attention towards him, green eyes meeting red and green ones. "I am Servant Assassin," he answered simply. "I am here under orders from my Master to eliminate all of you."

Rin just stared in disbelief at the sheer plain way he had stated that, as if he had been ordered to take out the trash and it was an everyday thing. 'What kind of Master thinks his Servant can defeat three other ones in direct combat, especially if the Servant in question is _Assassin_!? Is he just suicidal!?'

Ilya was having similar thoughts. 'He was probably watching this whole battle and saw what our Servants can do, and yet he's delusional enough to think he can win a straight-up fight with all of us?' Her fists clenched at the perceived insult towards her and her Servant. 'I'll show him!'

However, Saber just watched with trepidation. While at one time she might have shared similar thoughts to the other girls, memories of the previous War's Assassin flashed through her mind, particularly the seven corpses he had summoned that could seemingly bend the elements to their will. As such, she was extremely wary at this Servant's confidence. 'What sort of powers does this one have at his disposal?'

Shirou just stared at Assassin, unnerved by the pale one's gaze. It seemed almost... empty, as if the being had given up on living and was merely an empty shell. Then there was the scent. To Shirou, the best way for him to realize if he was facing supernatural threats was the 'smell' they gave off, which was just his way of interpreting nearby Magecraft and its usage. Each Servant had their own unique scents, now that he thought about it.

Saber's, for example, was the scent of burgundy, wind, and fresh water- a sign, he supposed, of her status as royalty and the "richness" of her power.

Lancer's, now he thought back on it, had smelled strangely of wet dog- perhaps as a clue to his identity?

Saver's was that of blood and, for lack of a better term, darkness, which was unsettling, but it wasn't overwhelming 'evil' per se: It was just how his power was.

Berserker's had smelled of anger and rage, like a fire, but also of something deeper than that. He couldn't quite tell what it was though.

Even Maka and Soul had smelled of both steel and feathers throughout all the the times they had been together, though he couldn't quite understand it, along with something else, the closest he could come to an answer would be... spirits... as strange as it sounded.

Assassin... he stank of death, bats, and, strangely enough, nothing, as if he was some sort of incomplete being trying to become whole. He also seemed to radiate power in a different way than any of the other Servants, but Shirou couldn't understand exactly _how_.

'What is he?'

Ilya broke the silence, turning to her Servant. "Berserker," she called out. "Kill him!"

Berserker bounded upwards with a yell, fist cocked back. Assassin simply stared impassively, then, with a burst of static, _vanished_. Berserker blinked as he realized his opponent was no longer there.

"Foolish."

Assassin appeared right behind him, green light forming on his fingertip. "It's over."

He fired, and Berserker vanished into the light. Suddenly, he disappeared again, avoiding a slash from Saver, who had jumped upwards. Assassin appeared once again, this time with his katana out, but was intercepted and pushed back by Saber, who engaged him in combat.

"You are no ordinary Assassin," Saber said as she parried one his strikes. "Who are you?"

Assassin in turn offered no answer, simply striking and deflecting as necessary. Despite Invisible Air completely surrounding her blade, Assassin seemed to have no problem engaging her like this, not even flinching when she managed to nick him several times, though her sword seemed to slide along his skin itself, leaving only his clothing damaged. His own strikes deflected off her armor, though he did succeed in cutting her across the face at one point.

Suddenly, he vanished in another burst of static, avoiding the surprise attack by Saver, whose blade collided with the street.

"Damn!" he snarled, eyes casting about. "Where the hell is he!?"

"Above."

Suddenly, small bursts of red energy fell upon them like rain as Assassin fired them; however, Saber found herself not affected, her Magic Resistance kicking in, while Saver seemed to just shrug them off, though he did grimace somewhat, and jump upwards, cleaver meeting katana with a _clang_._  
_

"You know," Saver said as they came back down swinging away at each other, "I'd swear you were the Caster, the way you keep shooting those balls of energy everywhere."

"A simple mistake, I assure you," he replied as he deflected Saver's cleaver without much visible effort. "You, however, remind of a certain warrior from my past."

"Anything special to say about him?" Saver asked as their blades deadlocked.

"Refused to die even when I killed him twice," Assassin replied, then broke their deadlock, jumping back while charging another Cero. "You, however, will have no such luck."

Suddenly, his outstretched hand went flying clean off, red blood flowing from the stump as Saber cleaved it from the wrist, wind exploding around her blade as she used Prana Burst to force it all the way through. Assassin's eyes widened slightly as Saber then reversed the grip on her blade, swinging upwards and cleaving into his jacket. However, the Servant of the Shadows disappeared once more, appearing a little ways away as he stared at the stump in something resembling shock.

Saber tightened her grip on her sword. That had taken more force than she thought: She had literally felt as if she was chopping through steel, not flesh and blood. Regardless, she then used Prana Burst to rush him, sword at the ready. Assassin looked up, assuming his own ready stance.

Suddenly, a burst of red Prana, smaller than the green blast Assassin unleashed, consumed Servant of Shadows in a massive explosion. Saber barely stopped her headlong charge to jump back as more of those blasts impacted where Assassin stood, creating an even bigger explosion. Turning her head, her eyes widened at the sight of a slightly-charred-but-still-alive Berserker making punching moments towards the rapidly widening crater, each movement releasing a fist-sized blast of red Prana.

When it was over, only a smoking crater remained, along with what appeared to be the charred remnants of Assassin's helmet and a little cloth.

Shirou and Rin just stared in horror at the Servant's gruesome end, while Ilya just smiled. "And that's why my Servant's the strongest, Onii-chan!" she said with glee as she turned back towards the original participants, murder in her eyes. "Now Berserker, finish what we started!"

Saber and Saver gripped their weapons tightly, but internally, they couldn't help but doubt. They had taken too much damage this night, and Berserker didn't seem at all beaten, only the glow from before fading from his tattoos.

'I may very well have to use Excalibur,' Saber thought quickly, but then glanced towards Shirou. "But if I use it now, the Prana drain will put Shirou and myself in a dangerous position for later battles...'

'I guess I'll have to use it,' Saver thought as he glanced at his right arm. 'We can't keep going like this.'

Before any blow could be struck though, a silver sword suddenly came out of nowhere and completely severed one of Berserker's limbs in a flurry of metal and sparks. Before anyone could quite figure out how to react, a red and silver blur appeared in front of Berserker and struck the mad Servant in the face, forcing him back while simultaneously grabbing the sword, standing in front of Saver and Saber.

"What the-" Shirou breathed as he beheld the new ally(?), taking note of the intimidating armor and helmet as it assumed a ready stance.

"New Servants are just coming out of the woodwork, huh?" Rin muttered as she took in the Servant's appearance as well. 'But is it an ally?'

Saver just sighed slightly. 'Hope this guy doesn't end up like the last one,' he thought as he glanced towards Assassin's resting ground. 'Could use the help.'

Saber, on the other hand, froze as she took in the Servant's appearance, particularly the blade in its hand. Memories of the last War once again came to her, right near the end. Her hand clenched her sword tighter. 'It can't be... truly Fate has a cruel sense of humor.'

Ilya's shock, on the other hand, quickly gave way to rapidly rising anger. 'How dare this... _Servant_ get in Berserker's way!? He'll pay for that!'

The Servant in question glanced back towards the others, its gaze in particular lingering on Saber. This did not go unnoticed by her, though she stared back with a stony expression, or her Master, who could tell, even with the face concealed, that there was something going on in the Servant's mind.

Of course, before any question could be asked, Ilya angry shout resounded in the night. "No fair!" she yelled. "Stop sneak-attacking Berserker! Finish them off!"

The now one-armed Servant, sparks bursting from his stump like he was some sort of cyborg, roared a challenge before charging, fist cocked back for a strike. To everyone's surprise, the armored Servant met his strike with its blade, a burst of wind seemingly erupting around it in a manner eerily similar to Saber's Prana Burst before forcing him off. The knight then swung its blade down, carving another slash into his chest.

"I am the Servant Avenger, and I will give you and your mad dog one chance to back away, little girl," came the knight's first words, and everyone was surprised to hear a girl's voice coming from within the helmet, recognizable even with the distortion effect. "Refuse, and I'll ally with these two to finish you both. You put up a big act, but your Servant's far more damaged from Assassin than he's letting on, and he won't be doing much with only one arm."

Silence. Ilya gritted her teeth in anger at this bold statement. This wasn't how things were supposed to go! Onii-chan should have been crushed along with his Servant like a pathetic bug, not constantly saved like there was some sort of God watching over him! She was tempted to order Berserker to use his Noble Phantasm and rip this upstart to pieces along with everyone else...

'No,' she told herself as she forced herself to take a deep breath. 'She's right... Berserker's took too much damage tonight. Can't risk anymore battles. There'll be time to... _play_ with Onii-chan later...'

"...Hmph!" she finally said. "This is boring! Let's go, Berserker!"

The mad Servant obeyed her command, the fire in his eyes slowly vanishing as he astralized. His severed arm also dissolved into motes of multicolored Prana. Ilya turned on her heels and began to walk away, but stopped and looked back at the knight.

"You would be wise to stay on guard, _Servant_," she hissed. "I will not forget this." Her gaze then shifted to Shirou, and she smiled grimly. "Don't die yet, Onii-chan," she said sweetly. "Only _I _can be allowed to kill you."

With that, she walked off into the night.

The five watched her go silently. Then, just when Rin opened her mouth to say something, the armored Servant who had come to their rescue, with their only warning being a brief twitch, twirled around and swung her sword up and down, her target being Saber.

* * *

Shirou didn't know what he was doing. It was all so sudden. When Ilya had left, Shirou had wanted to relax. The battle was over thanks to their newfound ally, and the danger to their lives had passed. However, something wouldn't let him relax, something that his training with OSG had tempered into him: That the most dangerous moments in combat were at those moments when you believe all danger has passed and let your guard down.

As such, when Ilya had left, he hadn't allowed relief to lessen his defenses, still tense for any other attack. The sense of danger had not passed. In fact, it suddenly seemed to intensify.

And because of this, when he saw the Servant who had helped them twitch as if preparing herself, he instinctively knew something was about to happen. Without a second thought, he rushed forward, Reinforcing his body for the upteempth time that night- his form screaming at the constant pressure -in preparation, reaching for Saber and pushing her aside.

He didn't know why he specifically chose Saber. Call it instinct, luck, desire to save others, protectiveness towards his partner, what-have-you, but his body seemed to move on its own, forcing his Servant out of the way. He just barely noticed Saber's shocked expression, along with Saver's confusion and Rin's dumbfoundedness, but he didn't have time to consciously register it all due to rushing wind...

'Huh,' came his only thought when he felt something collide with his Reinforced form, sounding almost like screeching metal as it passed clean down from his right collarbone down his side to his right thigh, all within an instant. He actually had enough time to register that it must not have been clean through the other side, since said arm was still attached to his body before falling to his knees, already fading.

'This is... way too familiar...' he thought to himself as he collapsed in a rapidly widening pool of his own blood, noticing almost absentmindedly that the attacker seemed almost as surprised by his action as everyone else, but was then suddenly blasted back by a burst of wind.

"MORDRED!" he heard his Servant roar in pure hatred, sword at the ready for a killing strike, blood (_his _blood, he realized in a brief moment of clarity) on her face and armor. The two collided with a burst of wind and light, cracking the ground beneath them under the forces applied.

However, Shirou's vision, already going black and blurry, could not see the end result. He was vaguely aware of someone, probably Rin, shaking him.

"Shirou! Damnit Shirou, don't die on us now!" Rin yelled, _pleaded_. She never did that, not like this, not with... sobs?

Shirou stared without seeing, his eyes already fading and shutting tight. The last thing he heard before total darkness was another voice, one becoming quickly familiar to him.

"Shirou!"

'...Sorry... Sa...ber...'

And then he knew nothing, only darkness.

But had he stayed awake, fought against the rising tide just a little longer, he would have felt, _seen_ something else in his mind's eye. A bright light, like a beacon of safety or justice against the void.

Just like the one he saw ten years ago.

* * *

'Shit, shit, _shit!_' Avenger thought to herself as she backpedaled away from the collapsing Master, face scrunched up in annoyance and confusion. The damn idiot had jumped in front of the slash aimed directly for her father like he was some sort of hero, out to rescue the innocent. More like idiot, if the way he was falling and the dumbfounded look on his face meant anything, like he hadn't realized what he was doing.

Now she was engaging her father in a straight-up fight, with the other Servant in the background ready to jump in if she started to falter. Not that he would need to, because Avenger could feel herself almost wilting under her father's visage. She had never seen such a face of pure hatred adorn Saber's, and it would appear that said emotion was boosting her to new heights, because she wasn't fighting like someone on her last legs. More like a lion defending its cubs, if anything, and she herself was too unsettled by the sudden change in fortunes to bring up a defense.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, damn it! When she had finally come across her father, it had been with her fighting alongside another Servant against the mad dog Berserker, and she looked almost just like she remembered (expect for the scarf. That was definitely a new addition.). She had considered jumping in right then and there to finish his Master and take care of at least one enemy, but that plan had been dashed after one of the other Masters (she assumed it was the red one's. After all, they both wore red.) tried that and nearly got creamed into paste. She didn't want to test her luck against a protective Berserker, so she continued to watch.

Then came Assassin, who put Berserker in two craters, fought a little while, then got blown to bits. She didn't really care; served him right for thinking he could beat all three at once, and there was just something unsettling about him...

Either way, she figured he softened Berserker enough during that scuffle to join in herself. She made her entrance like a boss, matched the now one-armed Berserker (but damned if he wasn't strong, even then and with her using Prana Burst!), intimidated the hell out that girl, then listened as she threatened her father's Master that only she could kill him.

Well, she could respect that. After all, she wouldn't let anyone else kill Saber on her watch. That honor, along with her heart and head, belonged to her, Mordred, alone.

As such, she figured she would kill two birds with one stone: Kill her father, and then leave her Master alive for the little girl. She only wanted him right? No need for more bad blood between them. They could just take what they wanted and go their separate ways.

She had been in the perfect position too. No one would have suspected their mysterious savior to suddenly turn on them, at least this early. Worn from battle, they would be too slow to stop her, and even if Father recognized her (which wouldn't have surprised her if she did), she was confident she could move faster than her. Hell, as she twirled around to attack, realization had only just started to creep onto Father's face. It would have all been over quickly.

She had only hesitated for a moment, some desire to face her father in a fair match of knights (and perhaps something deeper, but she didn't dare delve into it less more hesitation slow her.) bubbling to the surface, but she quenched it. She had given up desiring Father's love and approval long ago; why should she let those echoes stop her from proving herself better? And what better way to prove she was meant to be king than defeating the previous?

...And then the damn idiot had to go and die in her stead.

And now, here she was, quivering under Saber's assault like some thief awaiting arrest. She couldn't muster the strength to fight back, all her previous determination replaced with a rapidly rising sense of fear as she stared into her father's face, something primal bubbling up as she stared into those emerald and gold eyes-

Wait, gold?

Yes, the left eye had turned a stunning gold, something that hadn't been there earlier, and... was it Avenger's imagination, or was her skin turning paler? Either way, something about it, combined with the pure anger on her face, made Avenger's former confidence dry up, becoming replaced with panic. She could barely bring herself to defend from Saber's strikes, each like a death knell from a bell as they clashed, and any effort to fight back was met with Saber's unrelenting offense, quickly making resistance futile.

'Damn, damn, _damn_!' she thought desperately. 'How the hell did she get this sort of strength back!? This is bad... I've got to do something...'_  
_

Suddenly, an image of that final battle at Camlann flashed in front of her mind's eye, how she had broken down in tears as she fell dead. With the memory came something else entirely, something that let her find some inner reserves of strength and steel herself.

Anger.

What was she doing?

Who was she to falter before a false king?

She, who deserved the throne of Camelot!?

She, the one who showed that the king did not understand the people, and brought her reign to end!?

She was Mordred, Avenger of the Holy Grail War!

And she bowed to no one, especially not a ghost of the past she killed with her own hands!

With a defiant roar, she used Prana Burst, surprising Saber as she pushed against the Servant of the Sword's assault, breaking the wedge she had forged. She lifted her blade, feeling her Mad Enhancement kick in and preparing to engage in true combat, be damned to whether or not that Saver joined in. She watched as Saber's face look on a more colder look, the fire from before cooling into a mask that just barely hid her previous emotion.

It reminded her so much of the past, and that made her own anger burn hotter. She hated that face, the face Saber wore when she denounced her as being unworthy of the throne. She would not be looked down upon again.

However, that all came to a stop when she suddenly became aware of a tugging feeling.

_"By the power of my Command Seal, stop this fight and return, Avenger!"_

Suddenly, her sword disappeared, an instant before she herself began to forcefully astralize. Avenger, briefly lost in battle rage, attempted to fight against the Command, but stopped when she realized that would only give her opponents time to run her through. Still, she managed to fight it just long enough to stare her father right in the eyes, noticing how the gold was disappearing again, as if in response to the surprise that was spreading across her features.

She forced a sneer from behind her mask, hoping the mocking tone reached Saber.

"I'll be back, _Father__!_" she spat out, taking a moment to look at her Master, bleeding out like a pig. For a brief moment, she actually felt something at her previous action, something that seemed to weigh at her, but before she could pursue where _that_ sudden line of thought came from, she vanished, heading straight back to the apartment.

The last thing she saw was Saber and Saver quickly rushing back to the dying Master.

For some reason, a part of her actually hoped he would somehow survive, if only so that Saber herself wouldn't perish. It wasn't because she was actually concerned for _his_ wellbeing.

Maybe.

* * *

Even as her 'son' disappeared before her eyes, final taunt still ringing in her ears, Saber had already turned around and rushed back towards the fallen Shirou, her heart twisting in worry. It was a stark contrast to her previous demeanor, like a bucket of ice-cold water had fallen upon the fires of her anger and hate.

Speaking of which, as she rushed to her Master's side, a part of her couldn't help but think on her sudden outburst of emotion. She had _never _given in to her stronger emotions like that, especially not with such an emotion as anger, in all of her life. Her time as king had taught her she had to give up her humanity in order to rule fairly and justly, and that included her emotions. She had always wore the stone mask of kingship faithfully, and even when it had slipped in times of great hardship or trial, it had only been for brief instances and still subdued. Even when she had been reunited with Maka and Soul, the mask had subdued her actions, preventing her from completely releasing the happiness and gratefulness she felt.

In fact, she could only really remember two times she had ever completely thrown the mask aside; once on the Hill of Camlann, and the other when she was forced to destroy the Holy Grail in the previous War. But even then and both times, it had been soul-crushing despair that shattered it. Anger was one of the first emotions she had to teach herself to control, and not once had it ever overtaken her, even as her kingdom fell apart around her.

That it had now deeply disturbed her. She knew that tonight had been a rather world-shaking one, even for one such as her, what with her Master being the adopted son of a man she hated, her two friends still alive and well, the fact there were double the previous Servants, and that her own _son _had been summoned and attacked her, only for her Master to take the fatal blow for her, but even all of that couldn't account for the emotion that coursed through her in those moments.

Or rather, the emotion she felt alongside the anger and hatred.

As their brief battle continued, with Mordred (no, _Avenger_, she quickly reiterated. She couldn't afford to think of her as anything other than an enemy.) on the defensive and quickly losing ground, Saber had felt, in the midst of the red haze raging in her mind, ...joy. As Avenger had begun to weaken under her blows, the anger from before started to disappear, replaced by a strange happiness at the sight of the traitor to her kingdom faltering before her might. As they continued, her strength had begun to return far faster than it should have, as if the injuries she had received against Berserker were being healed with a weakened Avalon, and her giddiness had only increased when Avenger had given even more ground, some of her rapid strikes actually striking the silver and crimson armor.

But she wanted more than that. She wanted blood, blood for betrayal, for daring to harm her Master unintentionally as it might have been, for standing against her even now. She wanted to rip that helmet off and see Avenger's traitorous face, watch her eyes fill with fear as she stood over her like an angel of justice, an angel of death ready to pass judgement. She wanted to hear her plea, scream for mercy as she took her sword and-

Avenger's sudden defiance had shattered that feeling, her roar and sudden release of power forcing her back and dispelling the haze. Her rationality had returned, shocked and disgusted by the thoughts that had gone through her head, and forced her emotion under control, the kingly mask coming back as she prepared for Round Two.

Of course, then Avenger had been pulled back, and her she was back in the present, huddling next to her fallen Master and trying to futilely staunch the bleeding. However, she couldn't help but suppress a shudder at that memory.

'What was that? I haven't felt that way since...'

A flashback to the final battle of the War, facing down certain defeat at the hands of Caster. The sudden burst of power that filled her body and allowed her to win. It was almost uncannily similar to what she had felt just now, minus the bloodlust.

'What is happening to me?' she couldn't help but wonder, but then mentally slapped herself. Her Master was dying, perhaps already dead, and she was worrying about her mental state!

...Granted, that was a big concern, but that was secondary to right now!

She focused back on Shirou, taking a moment to notice that Rin and Saver seemed frozen in shock about something. She gritted her teeth at their perceived incompetence. Shock could wait, now was the time for action!

"What are you both doing!?" she snapped, the full force of her hidden emotion threatening to shatter her mask, barely holding together. "Help me!"

"Umm Saber..." Saver whispered, "Have you looked at the wound?"

What was he blabbering about? Saber's head looked back at the giant gash down Shirou's side. Of course she had noticed! How could she not have noticed the huge rip in his clothes, the blood splattering and still flowing...

Wait.

Saber blinked. There was no more blood, or rather, fresh blood. But that shouldn't be possible so soon... yet the pool beneath him had stopped spreading. She placed a hand to it, coming away with drying liquid. Confusion driving her, she slowly reached forward and touched Shirou's ruined clothes, pulling away to look at skin.

She gasped. "Impossible," she muttered.

Before her very eyes, the great tear in Shirou body had seemingly disappeared, the two nearly-severed halves joined together with new bone, muscle, and tissue. Even as she watched, the great scar, the only sign there had even been an attack, seemed to vanished completely, leaving skin as bare and pale as a baby's. Disbelieving, she quickly brought her ear to Shirou's chest, listening for a heartbeat.

It was there, slow and steady, but getting progressively stronger. She also heard his lungs breath in and out, further confirming that he was alive.

"Saber," Rin started, "Can you still feel your connection to Shirou?"

Saber blinked and then concentrated. Yes, it was there, faulty as it was, but the connection had not once been lost.

"How the hell did that happen?" Saver asked, just staring at the injury as if he had seen a ghost. "When the hell did the kid start regenerating from wounds like that?"

"News to me," Rin answered, reaching down and slowly and carefully grabbing the still-unconscious Shirou by the left arm, grunting under the weight. "But... let's just get him back to his place. We can... ask when he wakes up."

Saber felt her eyes narrow just slightly. "'We?'"

Rin rolled her eyes. "Yes, 'we'. I think I have a right... to know when one of my friends is suddenly turning into... Wolverine." Noticing how the reference to that American comic Shirou once brought home from his travels went over their heads, she sighed. "Look, could you just help me? I'm not leaving him alone after everything that's happened tonight."

Relenting, Saber moved to take the right side. Rin grunted in thanks, and Saver took point. Once settled, the three began their slow journey back to the Emiya Residence, worn out both physically and mentally from everything that had happened.

Still, one thought in particular bothered the Servant of the Sword.

'I have never seen regeneration of that level in anything save two existences,' she thought quietly as she recalled the healing. 'And discounting the person of the two, who is dead, the only other thing that I can remember having that sort of power is... Avalon.'

Memories of her final Noble Phantasm, briefly given back to her during the Fourth War to fight Archer before returning it to her Master, flashed through her mind. Last she had seen of it, its current owner, Irisviel, had been kidnapped by Assassin and Irisviel had become the vessel for the Grail. She had no idea what became of the scabbard, but considering that Kiritsugu Emiya had been the one to entrust her with it in the first place, and that Shirou _was_ his son...

'What happened to you, Kiritsugu Emiya?' she wondered as she stared at her unconscious Master. 'What could have changed you so much from the man I knew back then?'

More and more, she couldn't believe this boy was really Kiritsugu Emiya's adopted son. She would expected him to be colder, more calculating and pragmatic, not someone who threw others out of harm's way to be injured in their stead. She hadn't expected him to be so... warm. Willing taking a blow meant for her, the bards of her day would sing of it like he was some sort of heroic knight saving a fair maiden.

_Her_ knight.

...She blinked. Where had _that_ come from?

'No, don't think like that...' she chided herself. Whatever her feelings they could wait. Right now, they needed to get Shirou home.

She spared a final glance at the crater where Assassin had apparently met his end, memories of a similar incident happening during the Fourth War with the exact same class flirting through. 'Still... that was far too easy with his death... I'll have to tell Maka and Soul to prepare in case he's still alive.'

* * *

Unknown to the retreating figures, a black crow watched the proceedings from a nearby tree, having been there almost from the very start of the battle. No one took notice of it, for in the darkness only its green eyes could be seen, and even then they were small enough that it could be overlooked.

However, had any saw it, they would have realized that this was no mere animal. Its bearing was far too... other to be a simple beast, and the green fire of its eyes practically screamed of intelligence. No, it would have to be a familiar of some sorts.

But no familiar gave off such a strange aura. It spoke of age, bone, dust... and death.

With a brief call, the bird took off, its destination towards another part of the rural district.

Silence filled the area, broken once more when Beast and Edgar emerged from nearby. Beast's attention was on the retreating familiar, whilst Edgar moved towards the crater.

"Should I follow it?" the former asked his Master as the later stepped down into the pit, his attention on the dissolving robe and bone fragments. "It could lead us to another Master and Servant pair."

"...No," he replied, reaching out to brush the robe with his hand, but stopped when he saw something strange forming under it. Pulling back slightly, he stared at the... thing underneath the remains, which grew larger as more pieces dissolved. 'What have we here?'

"If it's heading in that general direction, I can hazard a guess as to who's the Master," he continued for his Servant's benefit, summoning his sword to slowly prod at the remains. "He's one of the ones we can trust, but I don't want to stir things up too much too early. Enough of that's happened tonight."

Indeed, what a night it had been. They had left attempting to just do some scouting, but Edgar had sensed a battle going on over here and they had raced over. Unfortunately, they only arrived in time for the finale where Mordred and Saber had fought each other, and they had stayed back while Shirou had been carried off. Edgar had wanted to reveal himself, but he figured that now would probably be a bad time after what just happened when with a Servant jumping in to help out: They might be willing to just stab first and ask questions later. Plus, he wanted to maintain anonymousness for at least a little while longer.

"...I see," Beast replied, then walked towards the edge of the pit. He waited as Edgar turned over the bone fragments, then watched as he emerged from the crater, holding one of the bigger pieces up with him by using a red aura coming from his sword.

He had to say, when he first saw that crimson sword, just a glance during their time at OSG headquarters, he had been completely dumbfounded. What on Earth was the sword of Odette doing here, and more importantly, how in the world did it get here in the first place, and why hadn't his Master's soul been devoured by it? He had tried asking him how he had come by it when he first saw it, only to get a simple, sad laugh and the reply of, "A lot of corpses and lots of sorrow," as an answer.

There was only one person he could think of that could use that sword, but he was supposed to be dead and gone, certainly not alive and in front of him today.

However, he ignored the paradox of the crimson blade, concentrating on the fragment. Even in the darkness, however, he could sense something distinctly... other about the fragment, and not just because it was part of a Servant.

"Touch this for a second," he told him. "But with something other than your hand or dagger."

He cocked his head slightly at the sudden odd request, but complied, noticing a stick in the road and reaching out to touch the disappearing item with it. The moment his item brushed against it, he pulled back as it started to eat away at the wood, dropping the stick as it was eaten away as if from a powerful acid.

Edgar didn't seem shocked by Beast's reaction, canceling his magic and dropping it to the ground. Blackening wisps of Prana faded off of it as it completely dissolved, but some congealed as a sort of black mud on the ground.

"What... is that?" he asked him, leaning down to take a closer look, but taking care not to touch. He didn't want to test what it could do to _him _if it got on.

"...I don't know," Edgar answered truthfully. "I've never seen something like this before. However, I'm willing to bet that we might not have seen the last of Assassin."

* * *

Meanwhile, above them the black form of Fallen watched, his wings glowing a purplish tint as he watched the events down below. He kept a neutral face as he observed, replaying the events in his mind.

"Well, Master's gonna have a shitload of paperwork come morning, that's for sure," he muttered to himself as he observed the craters in the pavement. "How the hell does the War even stay secret with this sort of destruction happening?"

Still, he'd better get back to watching the Hotel. He had only come here because Kirei had told him through the Command Seals to observe the newest Master-Servant pair for a little while, and had actually been about to leave before Berserker arrived. After that, he just sort of watched as they fought and newcomers joined in.

As for his personal opinion of the Master-Servant pair, he was sort of mixed. The Master, Shirou-something-or-other, had the markings of a self-sacrificing hero/idiot, whichever one he was depending on your personal preference. Taking the bullet for someone else... completely stupid since Saber couldn't really die, being a Servant of the Grail, and would have faded regardless if he had died. Still, that action, along with that almost supernatural good luck... he couldn't help but be reminded of his 'brother'.

'Gods help that Servant if their personalities match,' he thought with a shudder. 'Wouldn't wish that on anyone.'

As for Saber, he was certainly surprised about the whole matching-faces bit with Avenger. What the heck did that make them: Sisters? Clones? Still, he had also been surprised at Avenger's sudden surprise attack on her, and rather impressed with the battle that followed, especially considering Saber had just been through a meat grinder of battle yet still overpowered the former for quite a bit.

Again, deja vu and memories of his 'brother' flashed before his eyes.

"...You know, maybe this whole 'spying' bit won't be so bad after all..." he finally decided as he prepared to fly back to the Hotel and his stakeout area.

_"Actually, you won't be doing that for much longer," _came Kirei's voice out of nowhere. _"I have something to add to your assignment."_

Fallen nearly had a heart attack at the suddenness of the contact, then shook his head. _"What the hell do you want now?" _he sighed irritably. _"Don't I have enough as is?"_

He could almost sense Kirei's amusement across the link. _"I think you'll like this new set of instructions... assuming you're ready for some action."_

Fallen blinked, then grinned. _"Well, that's totally different..."_

* * *

_**Emiya Residence**_

Lambda ducked into her room, just barely avoiding a slash from her black-haired assailant and catching sight of a pair of brilliant purple eyes. Summoning her armor, she made a brief motion with her right hand, sending two of her wing-blades flying towards the shadowy figure, only to grit her teeth as her opponent jumped back to avoid them both, instead impaling up to their hilts in the wall.

Why did this have to happen to her? Just forty minutes or so after Shirou left for the Church, she had been pulled aside by Maka and Soul, both of whom asked her if she was willing to do something important.

_"Something important?"_

_"If Soul and I are gonna seriously start fighting in this Grail War, we need help," Maka had said. "While the process that gave us physical bodies makes us no longer reliant on a Master to survive in the physical world, it also limits us with only so much prana as the body can contain. While we can fight like nothing happened normally, I'm limited in my use of Noble Phantasms, something that could prove vital in the days to come."_

_"So basically, we need another source of power, an alternate supply," Soul added._

_Lambda looked between them both. "...You want me to form a contract with you two?"_

_They nodded. "Sorry for springing this on you," Soul told her. "But if we don't do this, Maka and I are gonna be limited in exactly how much we can help Shirou and the others. You're the strongest magic user in the area, and the only one we would trust with something like this."_

_Lambda was silent. She remembered how Lancer had stopped her attack with ease, despite her abilities, and left her on the ground nearly dead while he went after Shirou. That feeling of helplessness... she hated it. After whatever had happened to her in the past, she hated the idea of people close to her being hurt. She wanted to be strong enough to protect them, not unlike Shirou, though where he wanted to protect the innocent, she just wanted to do the same to the people she cared about._

_"You don't have to if you don't want to," Maka added, probably to make sure she didn't feel forced into this. "This is entirely your choice and yours alone. We'll respect that, no matter what it is."_

_This was the chance to make sure everyone got through okay. And even if she couldn't do it directly, at least she would be contributing._

_She looked up._

_"It's fine, and I'll do it. What do we do?"_

The resulting contract had been surprising simple. A few words, an oath on both sides, a flash of power later, and Lambda had red glowing sigils on her hand, the physical representation of the connection she could just feel between herself and the two former Servants. She wasn't a true Master: While the marks on her hands were superficially similar to Command Seals, and she did have some influence on them through their connection while being an extra source of Prana, she couldn't forcibly command them like a Servant. It was more of a mutualism partnership than anything else, something she was secretly glad for. She couldn't bear the thought of forcing anyone to her will whether intentionally or unintentionally, especially not two people who she viewed like siblings.

After that, they had spent the time watching around the household, the latter two guarding the outside while she patrolled the inside. With a great big hole in the wall and the main building, they didn't want to take any chances with intruders, be they Servants or just petty criminals. Apparently, they were confident they could deal with anyone coming in from the outside, but just in case something slipped by them, they trusted her to guard the inside and shout if anything amiss happened. It wasn't supposed to be permanent; once Shirou and Saber got back, the latter would no doubt request the action of guard duty herself, thus allowing Lambda to get some much-needed sleep.

Her first several rounds through the lighted household had been uneventful, and after the first ten minutes her mind had begun to wander. Twenty-five minutes in and she was fighting to pay attention, and by thirty-five she was fighting to stay awake (Granted, she needed sleep far less than most did, but using her healing magic could be tiring, and she had used it on three close-together occasions for some rather serious wounds, one of which was for herself, tonight.).

She also spent part of her time thinking about one of Rin's Servants, Saver. She had noticed throughout the time they had been in the house he had been occasionally glancing her way, as if he recognized her from somewhere. Not that she could judge him for that, because she had spent just as much time glancing towards him, something in the back of her mind scratching away at her mental wall trying to tell her she knew him from somewhere.

It was identical to the flashes she occasionally got from her past life before being found by OSG... well, _lives_, since apparently the remnants of some blue-haired girl who used magic and turned into a monster were also stuck inside her as well.

Yeah, her life had been in OSG had been eventful, even before she woke up.

'I know him from somewhere,' she thought silently to herself, 'but where? The name's on the very tip of my tongue... Ra-... Rag-... Raggy? ...No, that's not it, but what?'

Her body moved on autopilot, mind occupied with her inner musings, turning a corner. No worries of course, she had made this round at least a dozen times already. What was a thirteenth?

This time though, she came face-to-face with a black-haired person wearing white clothes and maybe around her height or slightly shorter walking down the halls as if he (or she? Couldn't tell in the darkness even this close.) had just grabbed something from the rooms, glancing behind itself to see if anyone was coming from the other direction.

Unfortunately, the figure seemed to realize that what was happening before she could, because Lambda barely had time to realize that, yes, there was an intruder, and yell for Maka and Soul before the figure drew a katana out of seemingly its sleeve before lunging at her. However, Lambda was near her room, whose door was open, and ducked inside just before the blow could land, leading back to the present.

Suddenly, she was aware of the sound of running feet, _away _from where she was. Cursing, Lambda rushed out, and fired all six of her remaining blades at the fleeing figure, who ducked into what appeared to be Maiya's room at the far end and avoided them, though she doubted exactly how much she would have been hurt or even inconvenienced by the swords. Lambda followed towards Maiya's room, cursing again as she turned into it only to watch as the Servant, for that was all it could have been, jump out the window it had just opened._  
_

'Damnit!' she thought as quickly rushed to the window, the sounds of steel clashing making her pause for just a moment. Looking outwards, she saw the Servant briefly clash with Maka and Soul before rushing away and over the wall. She watched as Maka seemed to debate going after the Servant, then blinked as Maka raced back into the house. She quickly went to meet her at the entrance.

"Lambda, are you alright?" Maka asked when they meet up.

She nodded. "Fine. Got lucky, but the Servant got away."

Maka nodded. "Yeah, I'm impressed actually," she admitted as she gazed over the wall and into the hallway behind her. "Only one other Servant ever managed to escape my notice when I use my Presence Detection. If the same holds true now, it's no doubt Assassin."

Lambda followed her gaze, flinching slightly as she looked at how deeply she had pierced the walls. Maiya wasn't going to be pleased about that. "Any chance Assassin will return?"

Maka shook her head, but it was Soul's voice that answered. "Probably not tonight. If she went through the effort to disguise her presence like this, no doubt it was to get a layout of the building, maybe even lay some sort of spying device. We'll have to check soon."

Lambda nodded, then her mind registered something Soul said. "'She'?"

Maka nodded. "Almost missed it myself. She didn't say anything, but I got a good look at the face during our clash. She was young, maybe fourteen or fifteen. You didn't notice?"

"Trying to stab me, had her face away from me most of the time and shadowed when it was, save for her eyes," Lambda answered. "Didn't have time to."

Maka looked like she would have said something, but suddenly flinched, her head turning back towards the entrance and her brow furrowing.

"Maka?" Lambda asked, "What's wrong?"

"...They're back," Maka muttered. "But why are Rin and Saver still with them?"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Maka rushed out to meet them. Lambda stood still for a second, then just sighed.

"I'm never going to get a good night's sleep tonight, am I?"

Still, she rushed out to meet them, still clad in battle armor.

As she did so though, something nagged her about the Servant. Girl with black hair, purple eyes, white clothes... heck, even the sword being summoned out of nowhere all tugged at her mind, giving her a sense of deja vu just like Saver had.

'Well, what are the odds?' she wondered to herself. 'I apparently knew two of the Servants of this Grail War, and one's an enemy. It's just great to be me, huh?'

* * *

_**Ryuudou Temple**_

"...I see. Well done, Assassin."

Albert stood in his room facing the injured Servant, noticing how part of his helmet was missing on the side, letting his hair flow free. Most of the warrior's jacket on his upper left side was missing as well, revealing his bare pale arm and chest, emblazoned with a black number '4' on the side and revealing a fist-sized hole clean through his sternum.

Yet despite these clear signs of damage, his body bore only faint burn marks where he had been struck by Berserker's attacks.

"I must admit, I'm impressed you got out of that last bit with only losing part of your robe and some of your mask," Albert continued. "It would appear your _Sonido_ and _Hierro_ are truly some of your strong points, even given your condition."

Assassin bowed his head. "Thank you, Master. As ordered, I did not strengthen my _Hierro_ to its fullest until after last strike from Saber. Do you wish to see the battle in its fullest extent?" he asked, reaching upwards towards his right eye as if he intended to grab it.

Albert shook his head. "Later perhaps. I do have a question for you though. Well, two actually."

Assassin put his hand back down, face not changing once. "Yes?"

"Did Saber have a golden eye during your battle? Or at any point did she seem to emit a sense of bloodlust, before, during, or after your battle?"

Assassin took a moment to ponder that question. "No... save once."

"Which was?" Albert seemed strangely eager to hear more. Assassin didn't bother to comment on it, simply continuing.

"Near the the end, when the Servant Avenger arrived and struck down her Master. While I could not see any golden eye, having barely escaped death by Berserker's attacks, I sensed something... darker from the Servant Saber, and then she was fighting the fresh combatant as if she hadn't just fought three different opponents prior, even dominating her during the first part. It ended when Avenger vanished and Saber went back to her still-alive Master."

"Hmm... well done," Albert told him, though Assassin could detect just a hint of disappointment in his tone, but whether it was because the Master had survived or that Saber hadn't done whatever he expected, he couldn't tell. "As to the second question, do you believe everyone there believes you to be dead?"

"...Perhaps," Assassin replied slowly. "That _was _an attack that could easily kill a lesser Servant, and my remains left there are rather convincing pieces of evidence. However, assuming they remember what happened to the Assassin of the Fourth War, that might not be the case."

"If nothing else, they'll doubt your claim of your title once they found out about _her_," Albert finished for him, turning his head slightly to the side at the corner. "You can come out now."

The black-haired Servant who infiltrated the Emiya Residence appeared in front of both of their gazes. She was young person, perhaps 14 or 15, wearing a white long-sleeved jacket with a purple fold-down collar, and similarly colored lines on it. The sleeves split apart at about halfway down her arm, revealing a black long-sleeved shirt which went to her wrists and where the collar ended one could see the black shirt also extended upwards to cover her neck. She wore a purple skirt where her jacket ended, under which were a pair of black tights with purple diamond markings running down the outside of each leg, terminating into a pair of shoes with high heels apparently built into the tights, as they were indistinguishable from each other. Two purple ribbons were on her neck area and on the jacket above the small of her back respectfully. In her hair was a black hairband devoid of decoration, and her long black hair flowed freely down to her waist.

On her left arm was strapped a steel-grey shield, which had what appeared to be an eye-shape carved into it. Two red jewels were set above and below the 'eye' in the form of a comma shape, and in the eye's 'pupil' was what appeared to be some sort of hourglass of sorts, filled with sand. On the back of her other hand, a diamond-shaped purple gem surrounded by a gold casing seemed to be fused with her skin.

However, what took the most attention were her eyes. They were a deep purple, and seemed to hold experience of one far older than her current age would suggest, filled with equal parts stoicism and melancholy of someone who knew of the horrors of the world.

"So, how did the mission go Assassin?" Albert asked, using the exact same name for the girl as he used for the other male in the room. "Did you get it?"

She nodded. "Yes," she replied, her voice strangely sounding just like Slayer's or even Lambda's, if one took the emotion out of it. She reached behind her shield and seemed to pull something out, revealing a single-shot pistol with a long barrel. Along with it, there appeared to be roughly a dozen or so rifle rounds.

"Did you dispose of the other rounds?" he asked her as he nodded in appreciation.

She nodded. "I found them in one of the bedrooms under a bed, locked tightly in a small safe along with the gun. It took me a few seconds, but I got them all. I have them stored away."

"And the fakes I made?"

"All placed exactly where the originals were. Even a well-versed user of the weapon would be hard-pressed to figure out it had been stolen."

He leaned back and smiled. Kiritsugu Emiya's Thompson Contender, the ultimate sign of his abilities as a Mage Killer, could have been a game-breaker in this high-stakes challenge, so he had decided to deal with it before it could get out of hand. He would have had Assassin destroy it, but after she revealed what one of her Noble Phantasms allowed her to do with any weapon she came across, he had deemed it risk-worthy to try and capture. And now it was theirs.

"However, I was detected, even if was after the act," the female Assassin added, as if deciding she should get him off his high horse. "Considering how stealthily I entered, I doubt they won't know, or at least suspect, that Assassin was lying about his class."

"Doesn't matter," Albert replied, not even perturbed by the loss of a potential advantage. "If they figure it out, they'll still think he's dead. And even if they figure _that _out, it just means they know there's another irregular running around." He turned back to look at the white warrior. "And even then they won't realize just _what_ he really is. Will they... _Fake_ Assassin?"

The helmet upon the warrior's head slowly regenerated throughout the conversation, blacken Prana coming together to form white bone. Finally, it was restored to its former glory, and the warrior bowed his head once more.

"Of course not, Master," he answered stoically. "As your sword, I will destroy all who will interfere with us."

Albert smiled slightly before standing up. "Well then, I hope you're ready for your next assignment then. It's a little... low-key for your tastes, but it is necessary to success."

"By your leave then, Master."

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter! Hope you guys liked it! Say hello to the return of the Fake Servants! And Maka and Soul are returning to the battlefield! (Expect an updated Skill Sheet on them sometime into the future!)**

**Note: From here on out, the two Assassins shall be referred to as the following in normal text: Fake Assassin will keep the moniker of Assassin, while True Assassin will be called... True Assassin. Or True, T. Assassin, Tass, something different.**

**So now the first battle's gone down, and plenty of new revelations have been revealed. Get ready, because next chapter there'll be a few more, including the appearance of Caster!**

**Anyways, on to the Servant Skill Sheets, and it's another two-er! Yay!**

Servant: Defender

Master: Luviagelita Edelfelt

Identity: Lancelot du Lac

Title: Knight of the Lake

Series- Fate/Zero

Sex: Male

Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: A (A+)*  
Endurance: B (A+)*  
Agility: A+ (A++)*  
Mana: B (A)*  
Luck: B (A)*  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats upon using his Mad Enhancement)

_Class Skills-_

Mad Enhancement- Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills.

E+: Provides low boosts to all stats, but also retains most sanity save for increased bloodlust. Can be activated at will during battle for a power boost.

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

D: Cancel Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy.

(E: Cannot cancel spells, but magic damage is reduced somewhat. (Lancelot's originates from a magical ring, however its powers received a rank-down due to _Mad Enhancement._))*

Guardian Knight- A Skill given to those summoned into the Defender class, it temporarily raises defensive power when protecting others.

B: As a loyal knight who believed he betrayed the trust and honor of the king he swore fealty to and so desires to never fail again, Lancelot has the ability to temporarily raise his Endurance by one rank if he is protecting his Master, someone his Master orders him to defend, or someone he desires to protect of his own free will. It is even possible to use this while under the effects of _Mad Enhancement._

_Personal Skills-_

Eternal Arms Mastership- Prevents degradation of fighting skills when under the effect of mental hindrance.

A+: Mastership of combat arts has reached the point of being said to be unrivaled in one's era. By complete merging of mind, body and technique, it is possible to make use of full fighting skills even when under the influence of any sort of mental hindrance.

Eye of Mind (True)- A heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.

B: Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning. Lancelot had much experience in the art of war as one of King Arthur's most loyal and powerful knights. His skills and experience reflect themselves in this ability.

Protection of the Fairies- A blessing from Elementals; the capacity to increase one's Luck in dangerous situations. Activation is limited to battlefields, where it is possible to perform feats of arms.

A: As the foster son of the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot carries her blessing with him into battle.

_Noble Phantasm:_

For Someone's Glory- Not For One's Own Glory: B: (Anti-Unit) *Same as canon, though now he can use its true ability without needing a Command Seal*

Knight of Honor- A Knight Does Not Die with Empty Hands: A++: (Anti-Unit) *Same as canon*

Arondight- The Unfading Light of the Lake: A++: (Anti-Unit) *Same as canon*

**And now for Avenger!**

Servant: Avenger

Master: Caren Ortensia

Identity: Mordred Pendragon

Title: Knight of Treachery

Series- Fate/Apocrypha

Sex: Female (Though will repeatedly insist it's Male)

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Strength: B (A)* (A+)**  
Endurance: B (B+)* (A+)**  
Agility: C (B)* (A)**  
Mana: B (A)* (A+)**  
Luck: E (D)* (C)**  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats upon using her Mad Enhancement)  
**(Stats upon using Mad Enhancement in conjunction with _Vengeance_)

_Class Skills-_

Mad Enhancement- Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills.

E+: Provides low boosts to all stats, but also retains most sanity save for increased bloodlust. Can be activated at will during battle for a power boost.

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

B: Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for one to be affected.

Riding- Expertise to ride animals and vehicles.

C: Most vehicles can be ridden with average skill.

Vengeance- A Skill exclusive to the Avenger class, raises all parameters by a variable number of ranks if the Servant in question should by some chance face someone from their past they have a personal grudge against. However, it can only be used under two conditions: One, both parties must be aware of the other's identity, and Two, said bearer of the Skill must cast aside any and all doubts/hesitations about killing the opponent and face them with no disguise: In other words, no Noble Phantasms that conceal identities.

B: Mordred's hatred for the Round Table, its Knights, and King is great enough to allow her to allow her to boost her parameters by one rank each if she should encounter any of the above. Would be (A), but her inability to completely and utterly cast aside the lingering traces of pride and love she held about her service keeps her from fully utilizing the power it grants her.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

B: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a fatal wound.

Charisma- The natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. It is said that a rank of B in this skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its King.

C-: Leadership skills and morale of troops increase. Worthy to lead an army or any sort of military group. Mordred was the one who led the rebellion that ultimately took Arturia's life and overthrew Camelot. The ability to whip the masses into such a frenzy and unite them all under a cohesive banner is proof of her talent.

Instinct- The power to "feel" the most favorable developments for oneself during battle.

B: Refined sixth sense allows for effective offensive and defensive action. However, it is not on the level of precognition and can be fooled. Reduces penalties caused by obstructed vision and hearing by a quarter.

Prana Burst- The increase in performance caused by infusing one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of prana.

A: A normal weapon that is not on the level of a divine mystery can be destroyed in one blow. Raises defense in several times.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Secret of Pedigree- Helm of Hidden Infidelity: C: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): The helmet that she worn in life to conceal her identity and even gender, it now manifests as a Noble Phantasm. As long as it's active while combined with her armor, it will only reveal her basic parameters and class skills to others, even her own Master. Her Noble Phantasms, innate skills, personality and true name as a Heroic Spirit are all hidden away. However, one from her former life might be able to recognize her if they concentrate hard enough. Must be deactivated in order to use Clarent Blood Arthur.

Clarent- Radiant and Brilliant Holy Sword: C: (Anti-Unit): An ornate, sparkling white silver sword adorned with splendid decorations and is a symbol of kingship denoting the right of succession of the throne. Mordred took it from the King's armory when she temporarily claimed the throne. Normally a blade that would have a Rank of A+ or even A++, equal to Excalibur, its rank is lower than normal due to Mordred having stolen it without acknowledgement, though it would return to that rank if she did receive said acknowledgement.

Clarent Blood Arthur- Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father: A+: (Anti-Army): Mordred's most powerful attack. Upon activation, she removes Secret of Pedigree to reveal her face to the world, then gathers Prana in a manner similar to Excalibur around her sword. But whereas Excalibur uses holy light and appears as a holy sword for an angel, this blade is stained in blood and, warped by Mordred's own hatred, becomes a demonic sword of calamity worthy of a devil. Upon swinging, the red light is released as a harbinger of destruction upon everything in her path. If she was to face and use it against her father, the source of her hate, it would rank up to A++.

**Note: The reason Mordred and Lancelot have Mad Enhancement as a power booster while Asura, Lancer, or even Maka don't is because with Asura, it's always active and thus reflects his base stats, Lancer doesn't use it unless he's using _Warp Spasm, _which is combined with his Noble Phantasm to give him his stat boosts, and Maka always has her active, but her _Anti-Demon Wavelength_ gives her immunity while keeping boosts, making it her base stats.**

**Also, since the Avenger and Defender classes are irregular, they're not bond to the same rules as the original seven, and so they can actually use skills from other classes they could have been summoned into without needing the Double Summon Skill: For example, Mordred has the ability to be summoned as a Berserker or Saber class, so she got the skills here.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! Review, fav, and follow people!**


	6. Aftermath the First

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare!**

**With all the action of the past few chapters, expect things to be a little slower this time around... well, there might be one or more smaller fights, but that's besides the point!**

**But in other news, I'm officially back to constant writing of this story! Now that my little distraction fic has been dealt with, I can get back to solely focusing on this, though don't expect update times to decrease. I'm still a few too chapters short to feel comfortable about that. Just a heads up.**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Mackenzie Residence (Nighttime)**_

Waver Velvet sighed to himself as stood on top of the roof of Bazett's and his headquarters, taking a moment to light a cigar as he watched the skyline. Ten years, and the sight had not once gotten old to him.

'Guess some things never change, huh?' he wondered to himself, taking a long drag on the smoking object before sitting down crosslegged. 'And yet, so many things do.'

First of all, what made the place that he had called home for several weeks during the last War different was that Glen and Martha Mackenzie had both died three years prior to this time. He had only learned about it when he received a letter three days after their deaths stating that they both left the house to him and Sola-Ui for whatever purposes they desired. Despite that, this was the first time he had set foot inside the house since the War.

He sighed again. Ten years. In the ten years after the last War, Waver had been inducted into the Archibald family with the threat of death above his head, become a well-respected professor and lecturer, married his wife/friend/former-finance-of-the-man-who-wanted-to-at-one-point-kill-him Sola-Ui in an arranged marriage, eventually had their honeymoon, and then two kids with her with a third on the way.

As that thought crossed his mind, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a photograph of his family, looking at the still image of their smiling faces. Sola-Ui was in the back alongside him, still looking just as radiant as she did in real life with that bright smile, her belly round to show herself to be six months pregnant. In front of himself, three-year old Alexander waved at the camera with a beaming smile, his slightly spiky red hair the spitting color of his mother and namesake. In Sola-Ui's arms was the one-year old Kayneth, brown-haired and shyly smiling while trying to hide his face from the camera.

However, there was a hint of sadness in his own smile, along with Sola-Ui's. That was because they had taken this picture but a week before he and Bazett had left for Fuyuki.

'Maybe I should have brought Volumen Hydragyrum with me...' he pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No, Sola-Ui and the kids need it more than me. I'm far from the person I was in the last Grail War.'

The Mystic Code Kayneth Archibald had given him was left at home, having been given orders to protect his family at all costs. He knew it was capable. Volumen Hydragyrum was a loyal existence, and dare he say even more powerful than it had once been as a blob of mercury. He had spent the last decade working on it as a sort of pet project, eventually succeeding in modifying it into a maid golem, a young woman wearing a maid outfit and made entirely out of mercury. It was loyal, powerful, nice, and did a good job following orders.

...Of course, there was the bug about it sometimes going on a rampage whilst simultaneously calling itself a killer robot from the future, but he let that slide. It was his own damn fault for letting it see that movie during the development stages, but it only did that when it was alone.

"Thinking of home?"

Waver's head snapped up at the voice, only to relax when he saw it was Rider. The masked Servant was leaning against the roof, seemingly staring across the skyline. He seemed relaxed, though Waver knew from experience he could go from that to battle-ready in an instant.

Waver had a bit of a hard time figuring his Servant out. When the pale warrior had first seen the modern world outside his house, he seemed to, compared to Lancer's rather excited and questioning demeanor, observe it all with barely-attached interest, as if he had seen this all before but just didn't seem to care. As a matter of fact, Waver was certain his Servant was from the future of some alternate Earth, if the way he once muttered, "So this is what Earth was like before the Apocalypse..." was any indication.

"...Yeah," Waver replied, looking at the photograph one more time before putting it away. "I guess I'm just a little homesick. I wanted them to come with me, but that would have only put them in completely unnecessary danger. I couldn't do that, not after how the last War went. If I lost them... I don't know what I'd do."

The pale Servant gave him a glance. "Then you must win, or at least endeavor to survive to be with them again. A wish is not worth losing something as precious as you have right now."

Something about that tone rang strangely to Waver. He looked at his Servant with a quizzical expression. "What about you, Rider? Do you have any family?"

He didn't know what exactly compelled him to ask, but he had noticed that whenever he saw Rider observing his family playing or having a generally good time, his eyes seemed to just soften from behind the mask. It wasn't much, but it was there. Also, from the way he answered him from earlier made it almost sound like he spoke from similar experience. Even so, Waver didn't expect an answer, which seemed to be reinforced when the Servant remained silent.

Which just shocked him all the more when he did answer.

"Yes," came his rasping voice. "Two brothers and one sister. I once had more, but they and I had a very bad... internal squabble. When it was over, only we were left standing. The very reason I've been summoned to fight is because of one of my siblings. He needs my help, so I must make it back to them."

The voice was tinged with some small level of regret, which was perhaps the most emotion Waver had seen out of his Servant aside from dry wit or cold pragmatism.

"You must care for them deeply then," Waver replied.

Rider nodded. "For my younger brother, for my family... I would protect them above all."

Waver would have said something else, but was interrupted by the sound of cawing. Turning his head, he watched as a black crow with green eyes flew up to Rider and landed on his arm.

"Dust has returned," he said simply, then looked at Waver. "Would you like to see the most recent battle?"

Waver blinked, then sighed, taking the cigar out of his mouth and putting it out. He had made it rule not to smoke inside houses of the dearly departed. "Why not?" he asked as he got up from his sitting position. "Though Bazett and Lancer should probably see it too. By the way, where are they?"

Rider looked behind him. "Lancer came back about ten minutes ago with cuts all over his body and a case of beer, and he's currently guzzling them down. His Master has taken one for herself and appears to be limiting her intake in comparison."

Waver blinked. "Where the hell was he?"

"I believed he said he had been 'going for a walk'." Rider replied, then started on back inside. "Come and see for yourself."

Waver just stared at the entrance back inside and then just sighed. "Damn, this really is the Grail War all over again..." he said tiredly to himself.

* * *

_**Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel**_

Avenger, back in civilian wear, stood in the center of the room, her Master right next to her. In front of them both, they were confronted with the figure of Shirou Kotomine, and next to him was Caster himself.

Although Avenger was of the personal opinion he was nothing like the typical image the Servant of Magic presented. He was, in a word, intimidating. He was a slim young man of roughly average height with two different hair colors: Black on the right and a silverish grey on the left, with his bangs (black) hanging over the right half of his face. His hair was also rather long as well, being tied in a high ponytail that reached midway down his back. His one visible eye was red and slitted like a snake's, gleaming with cunning and confidence, though if the slight trace of a scar that hung out from the cover of his bangs was any indication, he probably didn't have a matching one. Around said visible eye was a sharp, curved tattoo, which heightened the sense of mystery about him.

His attire was rather strange though. It consisted of a long, light, high-collared version of a ferraiolo, with the part that draped over his shoulders being very dark, and the edges of the clothing was adorned with a tiger-print pattern. Across the ferraiolo there was a strap which was fastened to Caster's body via a button on either side of his chest. Underneath it, he wore a light-colored, long sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up. Over said shirt was a dark, Y-shaped vest, with three circles printed on front that was tucked into his belt. Said vest split into four long pieces of cloth, with each piece of cloth having four circles. Completing the look, he had a pair of light trousers under the loose pieces of cloth and strapped boots.

However, there was something else about him also, an air that chilled her as nothing else ever had, even against such threats as her own father and Berserker. He was more like the cold, inhuman dragons of legend than something of human origins. Heck, she had dragon blood flowing through her veins courtesy of Father, and this guy felt more like one than she, her father, or perhaps even her grandfather could ever hope to be.

She supposed then it was fitting that he called himself a 'Dragon Slayer'.

But despite appearing as the more intimidating of the two and being legitimately a powerful warrior in his own right, Avenger couldn't truly fear him. As one who believed in straight-forward fighting rather than scheming, she wasn't impressed with him, and his damn smug attitude really got on her nerves. And that wasn't even getting into how often he would make some rather barely concealed jabs at her as a 'weakling' under a mask of politeness. It made her want to throw his so-called 'superiority' line right back into his face once she impaled him on her sword on a wall which had his cape strewn up upon, just to be extra ironic.

She did not get that feeling from Shirou Kotomine. For some reason, Avenger couldn't help but feel like she and her Master were a pair of naughty school girls about to be punished by the principal.

Shiroumine cleared his throat, briefly rubbing his eyes as he spoke. "So Avenger, what you're telling me is that you decided to leave the building and go out hunting for your father, who was summoned as the Saber-class Servant and just so happens to be a girl?"

"Yes," she answered back, no sarcasm evident in her tone. There was a time for such things, and this wasn't one of those.

"Then you attacked the Servant of the Einzbern, Berserker, and let them go, potentially making an enemy out of one of the most dangerous participants of the War?"

"Yup."

"And then you failed to eliminate Saber, instead only striking down the Master?"

"Uh huh."

"And finally, you were in the midst of fighting a Servant who had just lost her Master, yet you couldn't beat her even then and was even being dominated by her until you forced her back to use Mad Enhancement? And she also revealed your identity to her allies?"

"Uh huh."

"And then Caren called you back with the Command Seal before you could get serious, and the last you saw was her rushing towards her fallen Master, am I right?"

"Yup."

"And your excuse for all of this was, 'I was just going for a walk?'"

"...Yes," Avenger deadpanned. "Everything you just said pretty much explains itself."

She noticed Caster seemed to be scowling at the perceived insult in her tone near the end.

Well screw him. She could kick his ass any day of the week.

Shiroumine just sighed to himself. "...Well, I suppose there's no harm done. Do as you please."

The other three occupants of the room just gawked at him. Did he just-

"Master!" Caster said first, his surprise giving way partly to outrage. "She just went out on her own like that and you're just going to-"

"Yes, I am Caster." Kotomine answered him. "Even if I don't quite appreciate the... method she decided on, if nothing else we have information about four of our opponents and three of the Masters that we didn't have before. Besides, no one found out who her Master is, nor about our alliance or our headquarters, and even if her true name was revealed, it still avails us in that they don't know about _us_."

Caster still looked pissed, but he seemed to realize there would be no winning this argument and so kept quiet. That was the one thing he had going for him, in Avenger's opinion. He knew when to keep his damn mouth shut around her.

"Of course," he added, and Avenger felt a brief chill flash down her spine. "If something like this happens again, it might not be so fortunate. Caren, I would advise you to keep a closer eye on your Servant from here on out and not let her wander to do whatever little whim she desires."

Caren, face ever the mask of respect like her father, bowed her head. "Of course, Master."

Damn, she wished she could keep a poker face like that, instead of relying on the helm so much.

Shiroumine turned to Caster. "Speaking of which, how goes your work, Caster?"

A small smile, that damnable smirk that pissed her off, danced across his face, his pride apparently overcoming his remaining annoyance, as his tone lost some of outrage from before. "Well enough Master. My familiars have been working to perfection recently. I must say, I didn't think Avenger would get close enough for them to get so much information on Saber and Berserker, but there's also some on Saver, though I fear I have almost nothing on Assassin."

"No matter," Kotomine replied. "What information you do have is well enough."

Avenger's eyes narrowed. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

Caster looked towards her with a creepy smile, seemingly amused like some sort of school teacher whose student asked a stupid question without realizing it. "Ah, forgive me Avenger," he said, not sounding very apologetic at all, "but I took the liberty of preparing my own methods of information gathering."

He snapped his fingers, and suddenly a small dark insect, like a moth emitting shadows, flew onto his outstretched finger.

"My familiars, if you will," he explained simply. "Though I prefer my fighting familiars over these, I use them to prepare myself for the coming battles, analyzing the enemy Servants to develop counter-strategies. Of course, using them would be only be useful if I could actually find a couple of Servants battling, and I don't prefer fighting blind."

Another snap of the fingers, and several of them appeared on Avenger's clothes as if they had always been there, suddenly flying over to him with wisps of darkness flowing off.

"Therefore, I took the liberty of putting and camouflaging a few on you, since you would no doubt attempt to fight at some point. I knew you wouldn't mind, though I do apologize that my actions led you to having to break off your engagement. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me."

Avenger would have summoned her sword and cleaved him in half right then and there, ally or not, but Caren's hand on her shoulder stopped her. A quick glance to the side showed Caren gazing at her, her meaning clear: _Don't._

Avenger gritted her teeth, but complied, relaxing while taking a deep breath. She and her Master barely avoided trouble as it was, no need to put fuel on a dying fire.

"Apology accepted," she said slowly, forcing her temper down though making her real message clear in her gaze. _Next time you piss me off, I won't hold back._

He nodded. "My thanks." _I'd like to see you try, weakling._

Shirioumine then cleared his throat. "What of your other preparations?"

"I have several invisible wards and shadows both outside and within the building, set to inform me, per your orders, for any watching familiars or Servants. I also have two specially-prepared Seekers at hand outside doing the same," Caster replied. "If they spot the former, they will eliminate it. The later, they will inform me at once."

"Those lizardmen?" Avenger asked with some amusement, her tone equal parts mocking and disbelieving as she found a way to vent her rapidly rising sense of anger. "They couldn't last ten seconds against a competent Servant. A skilled Master could probably kill them off. What are they supposed to do, die while you slink behind a rock?"

Now Caster looked annoyed again, hand twitching ever so slightly as if in preparation to cast a spell. "Watch your mouth you little-"

Unfortunately for the still-battle-hungry Servant, his next words and action were interrupted when something came crashing through the window from the outside, smashing into the recliner chair in the center of the room and pulverising it, though it managed to break the momentum. Said something happened to be one of Caster's 'pets'. It was, as Mordred so mockingly said, a lizardman, approximately six feet tall if it stood up tall, though it seemed permanently hunched over. It was bipedal and upon initial inspection could be mistakened for some sort of armored knight, clad in silver armor. The clawed hands, feet, giant tail, and giant jaws ruined that image though. It was seemingly eyeless, noseless, and earless, yet the creature didn't seem any less dangerous without them, instead, it just added to the creepiness level. It was like staring at some bizarre evolution of man.

Still, rather hard to admire it while it was covered in scorch marks, looking like it had just been shot at before being thrown into the window. Even as they stared, it had already begun to dissolve into ashes, mouth agape in death.

"Speak of the devil," Avenger couldn't help but snark. "We were just talking about your soldier's effectiveness in combat. Please, what was that you were about to say, Caster?"

"Shut your mouth, bitch." he growled, his red eye briefly flaring on her before turning towards the window, shadows seeming to gather in his palm. "I'll educate you on my abilities later."

Another lizardmen quickly entered through the hole, almost identical to the first save it was slightly smaller and had wings, seemingly forged from the same metal as its armor. Its movements seemed almost frantic and it screeched like nails on a chalkboard as it attempted to get inside, one wing missing as if it had been cut off, and suffering from multiple slash and burn wounds. It scrambled to its feet at its awkward landing, eyes on Caster as it attempted to get closer to the knight, screeching as if attempting to give a report.

Avenger rolled her eyes in annoyance at the almost patheticness of the scene and just the noise, and would have said another remark about Caster's choice of cannon fodder, but was interrupted by Shiroumine.

"Where is their attacker now?" he asked Caster as the Servant placed a pointed finger against the reptile's temple, as if reading the information from its mind directly.

"Right here," came a voice beyond their view of the window. Caster immediately threw himself out of the way of the window's line of sight, as if predicting what would come next.

Not a moment too soon, because Caster's bird suddenly exploded as two bolts of purple Prana tore through its body like sniper shots, falling over dead and already dissolving. Caster and Avenger were immediately on guard, both in front of their Masters with their weapons at the ready, though the latter had not yet summoned her armor. Caster's gaze fell upon his fallen soldiers.

"Hmm, it would appear I'll need to make some adjustments to the next hatchlings," he muttered quietly. "They're dying too fast to even serve as shields right now, but I am still rather new to this..."

Avenger narrowed her eyes at the way he dismissed their deaths, like he had just made a pot of tea that didn't turn out quite right and now he'd have to go through the process all over again. She might not have been a nice person in life, even to those who followed her when she led her rebellion, but she never considered those under her command to be pieces to be sacrificed like nothing and as needed. That sort of casual indifference, even if they weren't human, made her sick to her stomach.

Apparently, whoever just killed said soldiers agreed with her personal opinion. "Well, aren't you a piece of work?"

Everyone just blinked as the black form of the Servant alighted into the room without seemingly a care in the world, with no visible weapon that indicated how he dispatched of his opponents, arms crossed over his chest, and only faint marks and cuts on his form and clothing to show what might have been signs of a struggle, but it wasn't his appearance that had them stumped so much as his attitude. He seemed to radiant confidence, as if he was certain he could take everyone in this room by himself and come out on top without any effort.

That pissed Avenger off. She didn't like the idea of anyone looking down on her, either intentionally or unintentionally. And while she might have been willing to let it slide normally, right now she was still a little pissed about her fight with her father being interrupted and that Caster had used her as a living info gather, and she needed something to kick the shit out of.

"Sup, bitches?" he asked them with a smirk on his face. "I'm the Fallen-class Servant."

That did it.

Avenger immediately summoned her armor and engaged Mad Enhancement, rocketing towards him with Prana Burst.

Fallen's response was his smirk growing wider as a pair of short, curved silver blades with blue decoration on the sides appeared in his hands, one held upright while the other was held in downward position.

Their blades met with a _clang_.

* * *

_**Einzbern Manor**_

The door to the manor was suddenly slammed open, the small form of Illyasviel von Einzbern marching inside after that surprising show of strength, rubbing the knuckles of her hand ruefully. She stomped into the place, her eyes glancing over to where her two homunculi servants of her own creation, clad in their white maid uniforms, were quickly walking over to her.

"Welcome home, Lady Illyasviel," one of them, Sella, she believed, stated.

"Do you have need of anything?" the other, Leysritt, asked.

Ilya didn't answer, simply marching off towards her room. The two stared after her.

"...It would appear that the mistress has had a rough night." Sella stated simply. "She will probably need some form of relaxation before retiring."

"What do you suggest?" Leysritt asked monotonously, though her eyes continued to trail after Ilya with something resembling worry.

"Perhaps a warm bath while we prepare a light snack?"

"I think she could do without the snack. After all, all it'd do is make her fat like you Sella," Leysritt deadpanned, glancing towards her 'sister'.

However, her previously impassive expression did gain a slight smirk as Sella's face morphed into one of righteous indignation.

"Excuse me?" Sella asked calmly but with the slightest hint of steel, knowing that her sister was purposely egging her on. "I'll have you know of the two of us, I happen to be the picture of physical health."

"If that is the case, I for one worry for your future as a maid," the other homunculus replied, sticking her tongue out while somehow maintaining her stone-wall expression. "Exactly where do you put it all, just out of curiosity?"

That was enough to turn Sella's pale translucent face as red as a tomato as her self-control briefly failed, and she looked like she was about to throttle her companion right then and there before managing to compose herself.

"...Well..." she replied slowly, face still red but with her own smirk now. "At least it doesn't all go to my chest."

Now it was Leysritt's turn to glare, but before she could say anything, Ilya's voice suddenly rang out.

"Would you two make yourselves useful and do something!?" she yelled from her room. "I'm trying to sleep!"

The two homunculi stopped their quarreling and stared in the direction of Ilya's bedroom.

"How did she-?" Leysritt wondered before hearing a chirping noise. Looking up, the two homunculi saw a small brown bird staring at them.

"...Perhaps we should get back to renovations," Sella finally said. After a whole decade since the last Grail War, the damaged Manor had been need of a serious overhaul, particularly in the left wing where the most damage was and wildlife had infested. The group had actually spent quite a bit of their free time just cleaning out the area, but even now there were still some stragglers, even if the main areas where they had taken up residence were more or less fine.

"Yes," Leysritt agreed. "The west hall still needs some fixing."

* * *

Ilya just sighed as she glanced away from observing through her bird familiar's eyes. Really, sometimes those two could be a hassle. True, they were loyal and she certainly enjoyed their little squabbles at times, but now was not one of them.

No, right now, she was just pissed. She had Shirou Emiya in her sights! Berserker was winning, even if Saber and Rin's Servant Saver had put up a better fight than she expected, and even when Assassin had pulled a surprise attack out of nowhere, her Servant had completely stomped him to paste the moment he had an opening!

Of course, she knew he wasn't dead. After all, as the Grail's vessel, she would know if a Servant had been killed, as their essence would have been absorbed into her body and she would definitely feel the power. She had felt no such thing when Assassin had disappeared.

No matter. That battle proved that he couldn't even match her Servant at his base power. Quashing him would be easy.

Anyways, even after taking all that damage, Berserker had been ready to end it! Saber and Saver would have fallen then and there, a potential enemy out permanently, and she would have all the time in the world to 'get to know' the boy her father abandoned her for.

Then that damned Avenger had interfered, and even managed to cut off one of Berserker's arms! Then she had the nerve to challenge her so boldly... oh, how she couldn't _wait _to meet her Master personally..._  
_

Ilya took another deep breath. 'Calm down, Illyasviel,' she told herself as she slowly undressed and placed her own nightgown on, not even bothering to call one of her maids in to help her. 'There'll be time to finish deal with all of this come morning...'

Right now, she just wanted to sleep, to forget this failure of a night ever happened.

But first...

"Berserker," she whispered softly, watching as the warrior's tattooed form appeared before her. His missing arm was back now, thankfully, though both arms were missing the gold plating from before, revealing a pair of slightly lighter-colored arms to the rest of his body. Apparently he could recreate them at will as necessary. "Are you alright?"

The warrior stared at her for a moment, his eyes no longer blinded by the effects of Mad Enhancement. Apparently, he could only fully succumb to it while he was in battle, but otherwise could act mostly normal. "I'm fine," he replied, his voice sounding strangely subdued from its usual screaming tone. "Nothing too serious. I'll be fine come morning."

"...That's good," Ilya replied. "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and I want you at full strength."

"Fighting?"

"...More like information-gathering," she replied. "We've spent so much time fixing the Manor recently that I've never really taken a moment to really explore Fuyuki. We may do some fighting if we come across any Masters and Servants though... discreetly."

It was true. Tonight she had left the Manor on more of a hunch than anything else, something that told her something big was going down in the city and that she shouldn't miss it. She had actually almost gotten lost several times, and it was partly by luck she even managed to find Onii-chan and Rin when she did. She needed to memorize some of the important areas, and while she could just use familiars, the little girl inside of her wanted to see the full sights this city had to offer, so different from the Einzbern Castle it was.

"...As you wish," he replied.

"Also, I want to see if I can find a change of clothes for you."

Now he just blinked. "What?"

She looked at him straight. "What, you're saying you can't be around me materialized? People will think it weird that a little girl is just wandering around a crowded city during the day. This way, people will think you're my father and not ask as many questions."

Well, that was a partial truth. It would be allow her to be a bit more inconspicuous, and Berserker was, minus the tattoos and the eyes, a rather normal-looking person, if you considered his skin just a really deep tan. At the same time though... perhaps it was just the part of Ilya that never grew up, but she actually liked the idea of being able to walk around with what appeared to be a loving and caring father, to have that warmth and affection in her life, even it was just a facsimile of the real thing.

Just like with Kiritsugu...

'Stop it,' she thought to herself as she suddenly felt her eyes grow wet at the oh-so distant and yet warm memory. 'You're better than this, Ilya. You stopped worrying about this a long time ago...'

"...Very well," Berserker's voice broke Ilya out of her reverie. "If you insist, I'll accompany you into town materialized."

She nodded her head quickly, hoping that Berserker hadn't seen her forming tears. "Good," she answered, then turned towards the bed. Berserker followed her gaze.

"Could you...?" she said shyly, glancing between him and the bed.

Berserker just sighed, but gave her a small smile and a nod. The action reminded her so much of Kiritsugu it almost hurt.

Ilya quickly got into the bed, pulling the covers back and nestling into the mattress. Following her example, Berserker got into bed with her, putting his arm around like he was a father comforting a child with a bad nightmare, to which she responded by holding his hand with her own, rubbing it gently with her pointer finger.

As a matter of fact, that was how this had gotten started: Ilya had had another nightmare about the Grail War, dreaming of turning into the cup while black lumps filled her body and started to overflow with a blacken liquid, all while the screams of her mother and father sounded around her and a madman's laughter responded in kind. Eerily similar to the one she had suffered sometime after the Fourth Holy Grail War and her parents never came back, it had even ended the same way before she woke screaming, only this time the one about to be sliced apart had been her.

Berserker had immediately materialized and looked like he was about to tear the entire place apart, though she called him off, telling him it was a bad dream and it was nothing.

However, he had refused to leave until she was back to sleep, even when she threatened to use a Command Seal on him. Finally, she just gave up and let him do what he willed.

She had almost slapped him when he had gotten into bed with her.

"My wife once told me the best way to deal with nightmares is to be with someone you trust," he had told her. "I once tried it with my own daughter when she was your age and had a nightmare. She never once woke up again scared after that."

Surprisingly enough, it had worked. In fact, Ilya had begun to insist that they do this every night, to make sure that the nightmares never come back, and also because she liked the feeling of protection she got whenever they did it. And while Berserker had been somewhat reluctant to do it again after that first night, he eventually gave in.

Ilya sighed into the embrace and began to doze, feeling once more like she was in the comforting arms of her father back when everything was simple.

How she wished these sort of moments could last forever.

* * *

_**The Next Day, Emiya Residence**_

_Fire._

_For Shirou Emiya, fire was both an enemy and friend._

_Enemy for what it had taken from: His family, friends, memories, home, everything that made him who and what he was before he was Shirou Emiya._

_Friend for what it had given him in turn: His name, a father, a dream, a sword, friends and mentors whom he would have never met otherwise had he been never taken the name of Emiya._

_Fire filled his dreams, smoke rising all around him as he laid broken in the rubble of what might have been his former home... or perhaps that of a friend's... or maybe nowhere of significance otherwise. All he knew was this was where he had died, where his life had slipped away and he couldn't be bothered to care, save for the one arm raised almost fruitlessly towards the sky as a final act of prayer._

_Then came the light, that warm feeling of safety and protection, filling him, becoming one with him. He wanted to just sink into it, fall into the welcoming realm of sleep..._

_"You alive..."_

_A voice... Despite the desperate plead for rest, he focused, and in front of him was a black-haired man with black eyes, which stared down at him and filled with tears._

_"You're alive!" he said again, tears falling. Was he crying? No... he seemed... happy?_

_"Thank you..." he whispered softly, the joy on his face shining almost like a sun. "What's your name?"_

_Name? Did he have one anymore? He wracked his fading mind for an answer, compelled to say s_omething _to this man who saved him. He seized upon the first word that came to him like a life-preserver._

_"S-Shir-ou..."_

_Finally, the darkness came to him, and this time would not be denied._

_Still, one thought managed to pierce the growing haze, one idea that would cement itself within himself just as deeply as his new name, the light, and the face of his savior._

_'I wish... I could be that happy... saving someone.'_

* * *

Shirou Emiya opened his eyes, the last of shades of his dream being dispelled by the morning sunlight that struck his face.

'Haven't had that one in a while,' he thought simply to himself, taking a moment to move out of the futon, his mind slowly bringing the events of yesterday to him.

He yawned, wincing slightly as a jab of pain went through his body, which felt like he had been exercising all day and was suffering from the inevitable cramps.

'Damn, what happened yesterday?' He wondered idly as he slowly scratched his head, eyes shut once more as he attempted to force himself awake. 'All I did was go to school, then stayed after to fix some stuff, and then...'

He finally opened his eyes, briefly glancing at his free left hand. He frowned.

'When did I get a tattoo...'

Like a freight train smashing apart a flimsy barricade, the sight of the red marks on his hand forced all the events of last night back to the fore. He remembered Lancer, dying, coming back, Lancer again, Maka and Soul coming to his rescue, smashing into the shed, Saber, Rin and her Servants, the Church, Berserker and his Master, Assassin, Avenger, pushing Saber out of the way, the feel of steel cutting clean through his body, Saber charging Avenger in anger, and then unconsciousness.

His eyes widened. "Saber! Rin!" he almost shouted to himself, disengaging from the futon despite his remaining cramps and getting to his feet, panic filling his mind. His right hand came up to his door, about to open it and-

Wait a minute.

'I thought Avenger chopped that off...'

Shirou's brow furrowed. Taking a moment, he looked at his surroundings. Yes, he really was in his room, not out in the streets. But that implied that he somehow made it back home, and he doubted any strangers would have picked him up and carried him home out of the goodness of their hearts. He also noticed that he was wearing a clean shirt, not a cut or trace of blood visible.

He quickly removed it, gazing down at the area he had felt Avenger's blade pass through. To his surprise, there wasn't even a scar: The skin was completely unblemished and free of any marks.

Well, scratch that, there was one: A star-shaped scar right over his heart, where Lancer had pierced his body. He figured there was probably an identical one on his back where it had exited. However, that didn't explain why on Earth he still had that one and not Avenger's.

He stared at his right arm, flexing his fingers as if making sure it was still there. Yup.

Then he glanced back down at the Command Seals on his left hand. He remembered something that Kirei had told him last night: As long as those Seals were there, it was proof the bond between Master and Servant still existed, and thus both were still alive. That meant Saber was alive.

He breathed a small sigh of relief. In that case, then logically Rin and Saver were fine also.

'That's good,' he thought to himself, then frowned. 'But that still doesn't explain what happened after I passed out.'

Putting his shirt back on, he took a deep breath before opening the door, ready to find some answers.

Also receive some heavy chastisement, but that was par the course for him.

The sight that greeted his gaze upon opening the doors just raised more questions though.

"...When was Noel shooting off swords in the house?"

* * *

_**Dining Room**_

Maka and Saber, missing her armor and instead clad in the blue dress underneath, the scarf still about her neck, sat facing each other across the table, staring each other in the eyes with a cup of coffee in front of each other, still steaming. Soul had left about 45 minutes ago, having needed to go grab some things from their house to accommodate their extended stay at the Emiya Residence, along with bringing 'a little surprise' for Saber. On the left end of the table away from them, an older Maiya Hisau, her hair having gained more grey in it and with more lines in her face, sat with her own cup of coffee, her nose in a newspaper while occasionally glancing up at the two of them.

From the kitchen, the sounds of something sizzling on a pan greeted their ears, but food was the furthest thing from any of their minds right this instant.

Maka looked away first, absentmindedly stirring her coffee with a spoon. "...And that's about it."

Saber was silent, looking down into her own cup, staring at her reflection. "...So the Holy Grail... it really was..."

"Corrupted," Maka confirmed, her tone saddened, though it wasn't for herself as much as it was for all who had fought for it in that War, her own Master and the one sitting across for her especially, and had ultimately died for nothing. "I don't know the how, when, or why, but I couldn't call the black _thing _that we saw forming in the sky anything less than pure evil given physical form. Kiritsugu found out, again, I don't know how or when, but he did, and decided the best thing to do was destroy it, lest it turn any wish granted upon it into nothing more than a twisted mockery of the original intent. That's why he did what he did."

"...To think... I cursed his name, yet in the end he saved us all," Saber said simply as she slipped her coffee, mind numb with the information she had been told.

The Grail had been cursed into a mockery of its former self, bringing despair to all who would use it. What would it have done had she wished upon it? Would it have destroyed Britain? Showed her an image of Britain in the midst of war and destruction, both from within and invaders, a twisted image like itself? Would it have mocked her about the futility of it all?

She had hated Kiritsugu Emiya, yet in forcing her to use Excalibur to destroy the Grail, he had saved the world, both past and present.

However, as a final spite, it had destroyed the surrounding area, a rather ironic and fitting way to show the Magus Killer his philosophy in action from the other side: Killing the few hundred in that part of Fuyuki to save the several billion all over the world. To watch all this happen, and yet be unable to do anything about it, burdened with the knowledge that everything he had ever done, all the sacrifices, had been for nothing... a part of her couldn't help but pity Kiritsugu Emiya, despite her personal dislike for him. How had he not taken his own life in despair?

Apparently, her current Master was the answer to that question. Shirou Emiya had become Kiritsugu's line of sanity and will to live, the one boy he was able to save, though exactly how Maka wasn't entirely certain of. Saber however, after the events of last night, had an idea on that front.

'Avalon... truly you must have been desperate, Kiritsugu.'

Regardless, Kiritsugu had survived for five years afterwards, having died of mysterious circumstances but also having taken Shirou as his adopted son. Maiya had become his surrogate mother, and Maka and Soul, who, in one of the few bright spots in this dark tales, had gained real human bodies and thus had no need of a Master, became his surrogate siblings. After his passing, Shirou continued both his swordsmanship, marksmanship, and Magecraft training for about a year on his own with input from the rest of his family.

Then he was made an offer.

Maka and Soul had spoke at length about a mysterious group of warriors by called the _Ordinis Sancti Gladius_, the Order of the Holy Sword, or just OSG. They had been the reason the two of them had managed to get up on their feet, providing identification papers and the legal work necessary to make new lives for themselves in Fuyuki. They spoke of their power, how several members were on par with _Servants _or even beyond them in terms of combat ability. Saber didn't quite believe it, but she trusted their judgement, and the group had been lifesavers to them, even helping them fulfill a final promise they made their Master during the end of the War. In particular, the leader, Edgar Silverstein, seemed like an honorable man.

OSG had been watching Shirou for a while, in fact Maka and Soul had become members themselves (or at least part-timers), and offered him a place, as Kiritsugu himself had at one point been a member. He agreed, and thus spent the next several years up to this point training to become a 'hero'. It was also how he met and befriended that Noel girl, whose real name was Lambda, and she started living with them ever since.

"...I still can't bring myself to forgive Kiritsugu for what he did," Saber finally said at length. "...However, it would also appear that I greatly misjudged him in those final moments, and for that, I am sorry."

Maka nodded, and Maiya looked up from her paper to look at her fully.

"So? What do you intend to do now, Saber?" she asked her. "Do you still wish to use the Grail?"

Saber set her jaw at that question, doubt filling her. A part of her still desired to save her homeland, but at the same time, the method she intended to have help her do so was apparently a literal monkey's paw.

"...I don't know," she admitted. "It all depends on whether the Grail is still corrupt, or if Excalibur's power managed to purify it."

Although, considering one of the original rules, the summoning of only seven Heroic Spirits, had been so terribly disregarded, Saber wasn't certain if she should hope too deeply.

Maka reached across the table and gripped Saber's forearm, giving it a light squeeze. Saber looked back into her eyes, noticing the warmth and empathy in her gaze.

"We'll figure it out," Maka said simply. "You're not alone in this anymore, Saber. Shirou, Lambda, Maiya, Soul and myself. We're all here for you."

For a moment, Saber remembered a similar sentence being uttered by one of her knights, Sir Bedivere, before the final battle.

_"We are here for you, my king. Each and every one of us will fight and die alongside you in battle. Your are our king, and that will not change."_

Saber allowed a small smile to cross her face. "...Thank you, Maka."

Maiya raised an eyebrow slightly. "Aren't you forgetting something important, Maka?"

The two other women looked towards her in confusion.

"What?" Maka asked, "I don't remember forgetting anything..."

Maiya said nothing, but her eyes trailed down to her hand. Maka's and Saber's eyes followed her gaze, eventually lighting on Maka's ring finger.

"...Maka..." Saber said slowly, "When did you get a... wedding ring?"

Maka scratched her head sheepishly, chuckling slightly at that little tidbit she had forgot to mention. Wasn't entirely her fault of course, she hadn't exactly thought her marital status was the most important thing to talk to Saber about.

"...Hehheh... I guess... about a year or two ago..."

She could almost see the gears in Saber's brain going overdrive as she processed that, then came to obvious conclusion.

"So... you and Soul are..."

"Mrs. Maka Evans, at your service," Maka finished for her with a mock bow, grinning sheepishly at Saber's dumbfounded expression. "I have to say, I should have suspected something when he brought me to that fancy restaurant. We had actually started dating almost two years prior, but that was the first time he ever brought me somewhere so high-class. Surprised he hadn't used up his savings to reserve the seats alone. That was when he offer the engagement ring. It took another another year or so before we went the next step."

"He proposed to you?"

"I actually proposed to him," Maka answered to Saber's surprise. "I think we would have still just been at the engaged stage by now if I hadn't."

Saber was completely silent, apparently trying to forge a mental image of that particular scene at the altar. "...Well... late congratulations are in order, I suppose," she finally said awkwardly. "I take it you've been happy?"

Maka nodded. "Thank you. The last few years have been some of the best of my new life."

"Where did you take your vows?"

"Married in the very same Church you went to last night."

Saber tensed slightly, the memories of last night rearing their ugly heads. Maka noticed it, and then looked down.

"...Sorry."

"It's fine," Saber replied, taking a moment to sip at her coffee. "I'm happy for you both, I truly am, and I wish you both long and happy lives. You deserve it."

"You deserve it just as much..." Maka muttered in turn, but Saber didn't reply, though whether it was because she couldn't hear it or simply chose not to was unclear. Instead, Saber turned her attention to Maiya.

"Did you find out why this other Assassin had infiltrated the area?" she asked. While Saber had been here a decade prior, it hadn't been for very long, and again, ten years was a long time for change.

Maiya grunted. "Most of the rooms appear to be untouched, save Lambda's, due to jumping in there to avoid being attacked, and my own, where Assassin made her escape. However, even there, nothing appears to have been stolen: Everything's still locked up, and there are no signs of forced entry or anything even being touched."

"I haven't been able to sense anything foreign with my Presence Detection either," Maka added. "I would have been able to sense s_omething_ if there was any sort of magical surveillance planted, and Maiya couldn't find anything to suggest being technology was used either. It's completely clean."

"Either it was never the goal to steal anything, just simple reconnaissance in preparation of an attack on the place, or Assassin is simply that good at what she does," Maiya finished. "I even checked where I stored Kiritsugu's Thompson Contender on the wild chance it had been stolen. It was still there, along with all of its remaining rounds."

Saber leaned back in her chair. This was truly troublesome. Why had the other Assassin come here? Was just simple scouting, an opportunity her Master decided shouldn't be passed up? Or was something more sinister at work?

And what was her connection to the Assassin they saw fighting Berserker? Were they both controlled by the same Master? If so, which was the real Assassin, and what was their purpose? What was the point of sending the male Assassin on a suicide mission? Too many variables and unknowns were involved in this, and it made her angry about the fact there was really nothing she could do about it.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of feet shuffling into the room. Turning her head with the other two women, she beheld the sight of her Master, wide awake and looking for all the world he had _not _just spent last night getting sliced apart like a pig. His golden eyes gazed on each of them, seemingly sizing up each of their expressions, his face going from hopeful to worried to finally resigned, as if he knew what was coming next.

It would appear living with women his whole life had allowed him to pick up the cues of behavior that allowed a man to know when he's about to be chewed out for all its worth.

* * *

Shirou had spent several moments just staring at the sword-shaped holes in the walls, but then heard the sounds of conversation coming from the dining room. Figuring he might as well get this over with quickly and painlessly like a bandage, he slowly walked over to the conversation.

The sight that greeted his eyes was that of Maka, Saber, and Maiya all gathered around the table. He heard what sounded like someone using the kitchen stove, and briefly wondered if Soul or Lambda was trying his/her hand at breakfast again. Still, that errant thought was rendered useless when he focused back on the three occupants of the room, searching their faces for any sign he was about to get a reprieve.

He found none.

'Should have expected that,' he admitted to himself, 'Now it's just a question of who's gonna give the lecture...'

Maka rarely took up the role for matters like this, so she would probably just be a spectator. That left the honor to Maiya or Saber. Shirou personally suspected the former, as she seemed to know exactly how to get it across you screwed something up bad, but then again, it was Saber whom he took that blow for, so there was a good chance it would be her.

"Good morning, Shirou," Saber said suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. "I see that you're up and about."

"Good morning, Saber," he replied in kind, his gaze settling over the other two. "Good morning, Maiya-san, Maka."

"Shirou."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, they were aware of someone else stumbling into the room. The four turned their gaze to see what looked like Rin Tohsaka raised from the dead, her eyes droopy with bags underneath, hair frazzled like she just lost a fight with a pillow, and her mouth slightly open like her jaw was broken partly.

"Guys know... spare bathroom is...?" she partly moaned, partly yawned. "Someone's... using main..."

Shirou made a vague gesture. "In the back."

She nodded, then stumbled along. "Thanks... Shirou..."

All four just watched her shamble away. Shirou watched the longest, already wondering how long it'd take her to realize that he was up and about. His guess would be once she looked in the mirror.

"Anyways," Saber continued slowly, apparently deciding to put that image out of her mind, "I can see, unlike some, you've recovered your energy from last night. That is good. It means I won't have to worry about you falling asleep during our discussion, specifically about last night."

Well, here it comes.

"Sure," Shirou said easily, figuring he might as well get this over with now, "What's on your mind?"

He vaguely noticed Maka roll her eyes, but his attention was on Saber, who had placed her cup down and stood up from her seat. Despite the fact he stood almost a head taller than her, he still felt the urge to kneel in front of her, as a vassal towards his king.

He quashed that feeling: Servant and Master, king and commoner, it didn't matter. They were partners, and therefore they should be on equal footing with each other. As such, he refused to bend when she leveled her gaze on him, her face equal parts quiet anger and frustration at his seeming careless attitude. Well, if it made her more open, fine by him.

"Your actions last night, when you pushed me aside from Avenger's blow to take it for yourself. Surely you were aware of the fact that if the Master dies, the Servant will fade away regardless?"

"I am," he answered calmly, continuing to gaze into her eyes.

"And you're aware that no normal human, bar some exceptions, is capable of facing a Servant in direct one-on-one combat?"

"Indeed."

"And finally, you know that there is no need to protect me, a Servant, when there is nothing to be gained by it?"

Shirou narrowed his eyes at that last bit, indignation rising inside him. It wasn't directed at Saber herself, but rather at the fact that she seemed to place so little value in her own existence. It reminded him of something he had been taught in one of his lessons, right from Edgar Silverstein's mouth.

_"Let me tell you something that's taken me a long time to figure out for myself: No one's life is worth nothing. The simple fact that we're willing to fight to protect it, whether fruitlessly or successfully, for own sake or others, that is undeniable proof we hold it in some worth. You might claim, as a 'Hero of Justice', that your life means nothing if you save others, but the simple truth in that you're willing to put it on the line means you deem your life worthy enough to give it up for others' sake. No one who believes their life is worth nothing would go out their way to aid others: By calling it nothing, they immediately decide that logically, no one else's lives are worth anything, and so become those crazy serial killers you hear about. If you ever meet the man who says his life was never worth anything, chances are that he either lies, never had any real reason to value it in the first place, or had something to which he forever devoted to everything he had... and yet was still lost."_

Still, he didn't let it show, deciding to wait until the proper moment. "I understand that."

"And yet, you still did," Saber told him, the calm and quiet anger and frustration in her face giving way slightly to something else: Confusion. "Despite that, you still forced me aside to take that blow, foolish as it may have been. You didn't hesitate to receive that fatal wound. That leads me to question whether you truly understand what I've just said or if you just harbor some self-sacrificing desire. So tell me, Shirou, why?"

A logical question. Shirou therefore answered it in the most truthful way he could.

"It was... just instinct," he replied with a shrug, though his tone was honest. "I just saw Avenger tense up and I knew she was going to do something. I pushed you out of the way because I... well, I just figured she was aiming for you. I don't know why; heck, _I_ didn't even know what I was doing until Avenger's sword had already cut through me. My body just... moved on its own."

Saber's expression softened slightly, sensing his truth, but still she pressed on. "Even so, _why_ did you force me out of the way, despite knowing you couldn't have done anything aside from die?"

"Do I need a reason to help someone? A reason to want to save someone's life?" Shirou retorted. "No, I don't. I did that because I wanted to protect you, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I thought I could."

"I already told you my life-"

"Don't tell me your life doesn't have meaning!" Shirou snapped, his indignation rising to the surface. "_Everyone's _life has meaning! I don't care if you are a Servant! You're my partner, and that makes you someone under my protection! And I'll do my damndest to make sure you're safe, just as I'll do with everyone else who lives with me under this roof! Got it!?"_  
_

Shirou blinked when he realized that Saber had recoiled at his sudden burst of anger, face morphed into an expression of confused surprise. A quick glance to Maka showed she was shocked by his sudden outburst, and even Maiya's eyes had widened at the fury of his words. The lack of noise from the kitchen made it clear that whoever was in there heard it too.

Shirou lowered his head in shame. "...I'm sorry, Saber," he told her sincerely, then looked her in the eyes again, making sure his resoluteness was clear in his gaze. "but you're not going to convince me your life means nothing, let alone that I shouldn't try to help you if you need it. You're my partner, and partners look out for each other. What kind of person would I be if I couldn't protect those close to me?"

Saber was silent for a long moment, searching his face for any sign of weakness. Apparently finding none, she sighed.

"Yes, I see," she replied slowly. "I suppose there's no point in trying to sway you with words-"

"Good luck with that," Maka said from her sitting position, looking at Shirou with a combination of annoyance and yet also some level of pride. "When he gets like that, it's about as possible to change his mind as stopping the moon from orbiting the Earth."

"-not if you're as stubborn as Maka has painted you out to be in our little talk," Saber continued without missing a beat, "as well as what you've personally shown and what I've come to believe for myself. Perhaps you might change your mind later on, when you've suffered another injury as before, but I won't bet on it."

Shirou sighed, scratching his head as he looked away. Well, at least it went better than he had expected. "Duly noted."

"However..." she added, causing him to look back at her and see, to his surprise, she was the one who broke eye contact now. "...my thanks for last night. Had you not done what you did, it's likely I would have died there without any chance to defend myself, and Saver, weakened from the previous battles, would have fallen as well, leaving you and Rin defenseless. You did save us with your actions, and for that, you have my respect..."

Shirou blinked in surprise at the sudden turnabout in her words, though he noticed how she seemed to stress the 'us' in that statement. Still, he felt his chest swell slightly upon being recognized-

"...as a self-sacrificing idiot."

Of course.

Maka laughed, and even Maiya gave a brief chuckle at that.

Shirou simply sighed again. "Can't argue with that."

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened up. Everyone turned their heads in that direction, blinking at the sight of Saver and Lambda, both wearing aprons and holding steaming plates of rice, meat, and other surprisingly tasty-looking foods in their arms.

"...Breakfast is served," was the Servant's only comment.

* * *

And breakfast was delicious.

Shirou took a moment to savour the taste of his katsudon, amazed by the flavor. It had been so long since he had tasted cuisine that rivaled, perhaps even surpassed his own, and he was taking every ounce of effort to savor it. He was currently on his second bowl, beside him being a bowl of rice and some miso soup.

Around him, Maka, Maiya, Lambda and Rin, who had rejoined them after recovering from her morning-zombie state, were all digging into the meal with gusto, similar amounts of rice and soup around them as well. Saver was digging into his creation as well, though part of his attention seemed to be hampered by watching Saber.

Made sense, considering the fact that she had devoured almost a third of the meal already and showed no signs of slowing down. She had already finished her third helping of katsudon, fourth bowl of rice, and second bowl of soup, and showed no sign of stopping.

"This is delicious!" Shirou complimented Saver as he bit into the pork. "You made all this by yourself?"

"Well, not all of it..." Saver replied, slurping up some of his soup whilst still giving Saber a few wary glances. "Your friend Noel helped out quite a bit in getting the ingredients, even with a little cooking. She was helpful."

Lambda blushed from her position, cheeks filled with rice and pork being chewed, and nodded her thanks.

Maka grinned as she picked at some of the food. "I can see why Rin and Sakura haven't been coming over recently if you're the one who's been cooking for them. This stuff tastes like it was made by Shirou."

Rin looked away slightly at that comment. "Well... he definitely does a good job at it. I actually have a hard time of deciding whether his or Shirou's cooking is better, particularly the meat dishes."

"Oh really?" Saver asked as he gave said redhead a quirked eyebrow. "You cook?"

Shirou looked away slightly. "I certainly dabble in it. A hobby, if you will."

"I'm curious to see... *crunch* ...how you measure up then," Saber said between bites, somehow able to keep up a dignified attitude even whilst stuffing her face like it would be her last meal. "This cuisine... *munch* ...is perhaps the finest I've ever tasted. *slurp*"

"Umm... thanks," Saver said as he watched her put it all away. 'It's like looking at human, calmer version of Tao...'

"Would you mind giving me some pointers?" Shirou asked him as he went back to his meal. "I'd like to know how you managed to prepare and season this."

"Sure..." Saver replied, then looked over at Rin. "...Assuming that my Master is willing to."

Rin blinked when she realized that the conversation was now on here. She glanced between the curious and silently begging, the later being reserved solely for Shirou and maybe Saber (it was hard to tell with that sort of poker face), faces of the other occupants, a blush rising on her face.

"W-Well, I don't see why not..." she began slowly, "even if we are technically still enemies."

Shirou blinked at that. "What? Are you saying that you don't want to be allies with us?"

"I never said that!" she replied quickly. "I'm just saying everything that we've done for each other up to this point has been the result of necessity and 'owning' each other. We never once officially agreed to an alliance."

"...Well, do you want to?"

Rin let out a sigh at the plain and simple question. "...Fine," she grumbled. "I suppose you need _someone_ around to make sure you don't kill yourself again..."

"By the way Rin," Maiya suddenly said, turning everyone's attention on her. "Did you ever inform your mother or Sakura that you were staying over tonight?"

Rin was silent for a long moment, face blank in contemplation.

Next thing anyone knew, a crimson blur jumped out of her seat and raced out of the room.

"Crap crap crap crap crapcrapcrapcrapcrapCRAPCRAP CRAP CRAP!" she yelled as she towards the home phone that Maka and Lambda had installed about a year ago, grabbing it before rapidly dialling a number. "Totally forgot, totally forgot to do that! Now I'm gonna get scolded and yelled at... oh God, I'm so stupid, stupid, _stupid_!"

Saver and Saber just stared after her, while Shirou, Maiya, Maka and Lambda went back to finishing their meal, pointedly ignoring the pigtailed girl's minor rant/breakdown.

"Is she... always like this?" Saber finally asked.

"Can't blame her, honestly," Shirou replied as he finished the last of his dish. "Sakura normally very nice and quiet, but if you get her mad..."

He trailed off, remembering the last time he had seen Sakura genuinely angry: Something about a prank involving worms and lewd suggestions of sex. He shuddered at the memory. Sufficient to say, even if he wasn't the perpetrator, she had put the fear of God in him and Rin, and the loser who was responsible was left in the hospital.

Amazing how a guy can walk right after his testicles have been pounded into literal paste and almost cut off, quite honestly.

Still, a nagging feeling had begun to scratch away at the back of Shirou's mind, as if he had forgotten something important. And it was steadily growing stronger.

"Shirou, are you alright?" Lambda asked, noticing how he seemed to be staring into his empty bowl, and not because there wasn't any food left.

"I can't but feel like we're forgetting something important..."

Suddenly, there was a knocking by the door. Maka looked up from the last of her dish, confusion on her face.

"Funny, Soul shouldn't have been back _that _fast."_  
_

"_What!?" _came Rin's voice from the several rooms over, "Mother, what do you mean Sakura's _already_ on her way over here!?"

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. "SHIROU! NOEL! MAIYA-SAN!" a voice called loudly.

'Crap.'

Faster than Saber or Saver could get to their feet and summon their weapons, a brown striped blur rushed into the kitchen with several loud thumps, dragging a purple blur along behind it. It stopped suddenly in the doorway, revealing a familiar brown-haired figure with a great big smile on her face, still holding a queasy-looking Sakura by the arm.

"FOOD!"

"Good morning everyone," Sakura managed to greet the people assembled in the room, though she still looked like she was going to throw up.

Dead silence. It was as if time had stopped.

"Morning Fuji-nee," Shirou said flatly, figuring he might as well get it over with.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE DOING HERE!?" Taiga suddenly roared, looking so much like her nickname, 'The Tiger'. "THERE BETTER BE A GOOD REASON FOR ALL OF THIS!"

"Umm... not to be rude but... who the hell are you supposed to be?" Saver asked.

Taiga turned her head towards him and seemingly summoned a wooden shinai out of nowhere. "NOW YOU'RE LETTING DELINQUENTS IN AS WELL!? YOU GUYS BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION!"

Faster than the eye could follow, she swung it straight down on Saver's head. Immediately, Shirou lunged forward and brought up the spoon he was still holding, blocking about halfway to its target. Before either side could make another move though, Saber, faster than either of them could follow and with so little effort it was almost scary, plucked the shinai right out of Taiga's hands.

"I would appreciate it very much," she said evenly, "if you would refrain from striking guests so unnecessarily, especially when said guests went through the trouble of preparing such a magnificent breakfast for the rest of us."

"Y-you..." Taiga seethed.

Maiya sipped her coffee. "Honestly Fujimura," she said. "If you're going to be like this every time we have guests over, I'm going to seriously consider not allowing you to come over as you please anymore."

Suddenly, Taiga's personality went a complete 180. She was suddenly on her knees in front of Maiya, bowing her head. "Oh please, Maiya-san! Don't do that! Anything but that!"

Saver was silent, then looked over at Shirou and Saber. "Thanks for that," he admitted quietly.

"No problem."

"Still, that was a rather rude way to ask who she was," Saber replied as she drank from her cup. "Had you not made breakfast, I wouldn't have lifted a finger to help you."

"What?" Saver asked, then was suddenly lightly slapped on the head by Maka.

"Hey, what the hell!?" Saver asked her while rubbing the slapped spot.

"That was for being rude," she replied.

"Oh! Hello Saver," Sakura suddenly said.

Saver glanced over to her. "Oh, hey Sakura," he replied. "Sorry about not coming back last night... Rin and I had to... do some stuff."

She blinked, then nodded. "That's fine... by the way, do you know where she is?"

"Right here," Rin said slowly, walking back into the kitchen like she was about to be arrested. She gave her sister a nervous smile. "Uhh... sorry about forgetting to call?"

Sakura just stared for a few seconds, then smiled serenely. "Of course. No harm done in the end... even if Mother was worried out of her mind..."

Rin flinched at that, but the mood was suddenly broken when Taiga suddenly got up from her posturing and looked between Rin, Saver, Sakura, and everyone else.

"Wait a minute, what's Rin doing here?" she asked confusedly. "And how do you two know that guy?"

"I have a name..." Saver muttered.

"Well, what is it then?"

Saver was silent for a second, realizing all eyes were on him. "...Ragna. Ragna Kisaragi."

Lambda quickly stiffened at the name Saver gave, but it was so subtle no one noticed.

Taiga blinked. "That's... an interesting name."

"Hey, you're apparently called Tiger."

"THAT'S NOT MY NAME!" she roared suddenly, pulling another shinai out of nowhere. This time, Saber just bonked her over the head lightly with the one she took earlier.

"Please restrain yourself in the dining area," she requested calmly.

Taiga rubbed her head, still holding her own shinai. "And that's another thing! Who're _you_ supposed to be!?"

"That is Saber, and she's an old friend of both Soul and myself," Maka interrupted her. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other face-to-face though, so I offered her a chance to come here for some catching up."

"Indeed," Saber immediately added. "And Shirou and Ms. Hisau were kind enough to allow me quarters in Fuyuki for the next several weeks or so."

Taiga looked between them both, then at Maiya, who simply nodded. "Well... where's Soul?"

"Getting some stuff from our place for an extended stay here," Maka replied. "Surely you saw the big hole in the outer wall and main building on your way in?"

"Or were too blinded by the idea of food to notice?" Maiya added.

"I-I..." Taiga spluttered for a moment, then just shook her head. "Oh fine! Alright, alright..." she muttered, then looked up at Saver. "Look, I'm sorry I tried to attack you like that twice, Mr. Kisaragi. Even if you deserved it."

"Hey! Was that supposed to be some sort of apology?" Saver asked, "Because that was pretty shitty if I ever heard one!"

Again, Maka smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Seriously, what the heck?"

"Better," Maka replied.

"So, is there any breakfast left?" Taiga immediately asked, her mood brightening once more. "I'm starving!"

No one answered, simply glancing towards the table. Taiga's gaze followed, saw the recently-used plates and tidbits of food, and came to the logical conclusion.

_**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_

After that eardrum-shattering scream, Shirou looked down at the sobbing wreck that was Taiga 'Tiger' Fujimura and slowly patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Fuji-nee, I'll whip you and Sakura up something quick."

Immediately, she was back on her feet, hugging him. "And _that's _why you're my favorite student, Shirou-chan!"

"Could you make it for three?"

Shirou and Taiga turned their heads to look at Saber, who was currently nibbling on the last of her pork. "Huh?" Shirou asked.

"I said I wished to compare your cooking to Ragna's," Saber replied. "Certainly I could have asked for no better opportunity than now."

"B-But-but..." Taiga replied, glancing at the finished bowls Saber had gone through.

"Are you certain you're not full?" Shirou asked hesitantly. "I wouldn't want to impose..."

"It won't take long," Saber replied simply with her eyes shut calmly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A small appetizer is all I'll need in order to compare. Consider it a way of making up for your actions from last night."

She then opened her eyes, and Shirou could sense the challenge in them. "Unless you're suggesting your cooking is inferior?"

That did it.

Shirou immediately stood up and rolled up his sleeves. "Give me fifteen minutes tops."

Everyone else in the room save Saber and Saver, who was just confused by the scene playing out, just facepalmed.

'You just pressed the 'cooking' button, Saber,' Maka thought silently. 'Shouldn't have done that.'

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter! Again, one of the slower ones, just putting in some funny moments and building on the world. I hope you guys got the feels. And now Caster makes his debut! Who can figure out his identity?**

**Well, let's get them out! The next two Servant Skill Sheets! Kudos to King of Beasts for helping me find inspiration for the first one!**

Servant: Beast

Master: Edgar Silverstein

Identity: Ingway Valentine

Title: The Forgotten Prince of Valentine

Series- Odin Sphere

Sex: Male

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Strength: D (A++)*  
Endurance: C (A+++)*  
Agility: B (A++)*  
Mana: B+ (A++)*  
Luck: D+ (E)*  
Noble Phantasm: A+

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Curse of Darkova_)

_Class Skills-_

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

C: Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals. Ingway carries within himself the blood of his father, Demon King Odin, a highly accomplished spellcaster who knew 1000 spells and this, combined with his high level of magic and training, grants him a rather moderate level of resistance.

Item Construction- The skill to manufacture magical items.

B: If he has the proper ingredients, Ingway can synthesize a large manner of different potions for consumption, from healing potions, antidotes, explosives, poisons, warming and cooling potions, painkillers, and even ones that temporarily rid one of all fatigue or provide massive power boosts. He can even combine the effects of multiple potions at once in order to fight with unpredictability, though such things might result in... side-effects.

Monstrous Strength- An ability possessed by monsters and beasts and therefore natural to the Beast class, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill.

B: As the bearer of the power of Darkova, Ingway can use this Skill; however, every second he uses it increases the chance of becoming the Demon Beast itself and losing all control.

_Personal Skills-_

High-Speed Divine Words- The power to activate Thaumaturgy without the use of Magic Circuits. The language of the Age of Gods, back when words played a heavy role in spellcasting. As such, it is power long lost by modern magi.

A: High-Thaumaturgy-level Magecraft can be cast at the speed of Single-Action spells.

Protection of the Fairies- A blessing from Elementals; the capacity to increase one's Luck in dangerous situations. Activation is limited to battlefields, where it is possible to perform feats of arms.

D: While not truly 'blessed' by the Fairies, Ingway did aid them through some of their most troubled times and received a reward for his services, so at desperate points he can raise his luck to give himself an brief advantage.

Shapeshift- A Skill that refers to both borrowing bodies and appearance changes.

B: Can produce rather convincing disguises, even ones of the opposite gender. However, limited by both Prana constraints and vastly radical appearances.

Subversive Activities- The talent to reduce the enemy forces in the preliminary stages, before going into battle. An expert of traps. However, the higher is the ranking of this Skill, the more one's spiritual status as a hero declines.

C: Possible to disable almost 20% of the enemy's military forces before going into battle. Ingway managed to reduce an entire rebellion's forces by at least a third before the main army could attack by poisoning their food and drink with a potion that turned them into frogs... while he was trapped in the form a frog himself.

_Noble Phantasm:_

The Pooka's Curse- My Greatest Sin: C+: (Anti-Unit): A deadly curse that allows Ingway to transform whoever it hits into an anthropomorphic rabbit with all the features of said creature. Those cursed have no hope of ever returning to normal and are forever condemned to remain trapped in this shape. If a magic user is struck, they will never be able to cast magic again, and one's strength and physical abilities will be downgraded to their new body. However, it is possible to remain unaffected if the person has the equivalent of a Magic Resistance of B or higher, blocks the spell with some form of shield, or manages to use a reality changing wish to return to normal. It should be noted, however, that any who becomes a Pooka is granted immortality from age and death, though being killed will bring them back as a Revenant, able to cast magic, though being killed again permanently ends them.

Curse of Darkova- The Demon Beast of Armageddon: A++: (Anti-Unit (Oneself), Anti-Country): Ingway's most powerful spell and the most dangerous of all. A dreaded spell created by the royal family of human kingdom of Titania to keep them on an even level with the other powerful rulers of land of Erion, the curse itself turns Ingway into an immensely powerful, three-headed poisonous beast that can control the elements of fire and ice, surpassing the level of Divine Beast to something akin to an existence on the level of Primate Murder, Gaia's personal destroyer. The drawback is that Ingway slowly loses control of himself to the demonic power of the curse, which makes him act more animalistic and gives him a powerful blood lust. This results in a hungering for human flesh, and converts pain, both physical and emotional, into sick pleasure that fuels the spell even more. However, with sufficient time to prepare, Ingway _can _cast a counterspell to maintain his sanity and control his cursed form, but it's very long and therefore not very practical in the heat of combat.

**Now, on to... Maka! (Sorry, but I'm doing a bit of variation now, since Slayer and Conqueror haven't received much screentime yet. Besides, I might as well get this one out there right now.)**

Servant: Berserker (former)

Master: Lambda-11 (Noel Valenzuela)

Identity: Maka Albarn

Title: The Meister of Death

Series- Soul Eater

Sex: Female

Alignment: Neutral Good

Strength: B (A)*  
Endurance: B+ (A+)*  
Agility: B (A)*  
Mana: A (A+)*  
Luck: B (C)*  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Black Blood_)

_Class Skills-_

Mad Enhancement- Raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. In some cases, also seals away Personal Skills.

B: Rank up for all parameters, but takes away most of sanity. In Maka's case, the negative effects of Mad Enhancement are nullified by her personal skill, _Anti-Demon Wavelength._

_Personal Skills-_

Anti-Demon Wavelength- Allows one to deal extra damage to existences of otherworldly origin and resist the effects of madness.

A+: As this skill was one of Maka's most powerful abilities, it allows her to fight under the effects of _Mad Enhancement_ without losing her sanity, keeping the stat increases.

Eternal Arms Mastership- Prevents degradation of fighting skills when under the effect of mental hindrance

C: Mastership of combat arts has reached the point of instinctive level. It is possible to make use of the majority of fighting skills even when under the influence of any sort of mental hindrance. However, this is only possible if the weapon in question was the user's personal weapon in life. Maka has shown consistently even under the effects of Madness to be just as deadly with a scythe as she is sane.

Grigori Soul- A soul that has the shape of an angel's wings. Only one in five million people are said to have it. Those who have these types of souls are able to conjure wings to allow flight.

B: User cannot conjure said wings on their own person, but they can be on objects that the holder channels their magical power into. By using Soul Resonance, Maka can project wings onto Soul's scythe form, enabling flight. These wings can be altered in size, shape, and appearance of the wings can be altered, as well as speed and efficiency in the air. Their wings take the appearance of large wings that are slightly spiky but on the fluffy side.

Instinct- The power to "feel" the most favorable developments for oneself during battle.

C: It is only effective for the sake of defense. Stems from her usage of Soul Perception, which can allow her to observe her opponent's soul and provides limited prediction of their attacks.

Presence Detection- The ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources.

A+: Due to her unbelievably powerful Soul Perception, Berserker is able to locate any Servant within a certain range. If they are fighting, she can even tell which Servants they are. However, it is incapable of sensing someone with a sufficiently powerful Presence Concealment skill and able to hide their mana.

Soul Resonance- The ability of two souls to resonate with each other, enhancing each other's powers. The higher the Resonance rate, the stronger the power. However, activation of the technique requires some time.

A: The resonance rate of two souls is so high they might as well be a single being at this point.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Soul Eater Evans- Death Scythe: A: (Anti-Unit): Maka's Demon Weapon and partner in life. Upon usage of Soul Resonance, he can activate three higher levels of power. Each can be used normally, or fired as a blast of energy. (Note that each of the following Hunter techniques are not three Noble Phantasms in their own right, but rather the power level and range of effect Soul has at the time.)

Witch Hunter- The Legendary Skill of the Scythe Meister: B+: (Anti-Unit): Activated upon normal Soul Resonance. Capable of firing blasts of energy filled with his Meister's Anti-Demon Wavelength. Capable of killing most low-leveled demons and hurting higher level ones due to its Demon-Purifying Wavelength.

Demon Hunter- The Witch Hunt of Witch Hunters: A+: (Anti-Army): Activated upon pushing Soul Resonance to higher levels. Capable of killing most higher-level demons and hurting Immortals due to its Demon-Repelling Wavelength.

Kishin Hunter- The Slayer of Madness: A++: (Anti-Fortress): Activated only by usage of the Black Blood. Capable of killing Immortals and even some True Ancestors with a single blast. If it clashed with Excalibur, the resulting energy surge could potentially destroy both users and an entire city. However, it's best effectiveness is against evil creatures.

Black Blood- Blood of the Kishin: A: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Artificially made black blood-cells injected into a person's body. Upon activation, it can be used to harden the person's blood, protecting the vital organs, sealing wounds, and strengthening a person. Activation of this increases Prana consumption to normal Berserker levels, and even one with an _Anti-Demon Wavelength_ skill will start to exhibit low-level Berserker traits upon usage. Essentially grants the status of Battle Continuation: A.

**Well, I hope people like this updated version to Maka's profile! Remember people, keep reviewing faving, following, and reviewing!**


	7. New Schoolmates

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare! Happy Halloween everybody! Hope you trick-or-treaters had a good time and haul this year, along with some good old-fashioned scares.**

**Again, another slower one, though the action will start to pick up as it goes on.**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Emiya Residence**_

Saber leaned back from her recently devoured meal of another helping of katsudon, allowing a rare small sigh of pleasure to escape her lips as she shut her eyes. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she opened her eyes and turned towards Shirou, who was watching her equal parts shock (no doubt at the three bowls worth of food she had put away so soon after breakfast) and nervous anticipation at her verdict on his cooking.

Around them, the others in the dining room just stared at the dishes she had put aside, and none stared as hard as Taiga Fujimura, who head kept snapping between both the bowls, her own finished dish, and Saber herself. Somehow, she had managed to grab the lion's share of the meal, leaving perhaps less than half for Sakura and Taiga, and yet didn't look at all full. In fact, Taiga couldn't even see a bulge in her stomach to indicate she had actually eaten _anything_.

'It's like a black hole,' she thought dumbly. 'It just keeps sucking all the food in and never stops.'

"...Well?" Shirou asked.

"...For consistency, I have to give it to Saver," Saber replied, giving the red-clad Servant a glance. "However, in terms of taste, yours is the superior. Regardless, I would be honored to eat either of your cooking again."

Shirou and Saver looked at each other for a moment, then back at her.

"Thanks," Saver replied. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Shirou sighed in seemingly relief, then walked towards the table, picking up several of the finished plates and walking towards the kitchen. Noel and Sakura got to follow him, carrying the rest of the dishes with them. Everyone just sat in the dining room in silence, then Maiya looked over at Taiga.

"Fujimura, don't you have to be at school right now?"

Taiga blinked, then suddenly shot up straight, looking at the clock. "Holy crap, you're right, Maiya-san!" she yelled, then suddenly disappeared towards the door in a flash, her voice trailing off after her. "See you later guys! And Rin, don't forget to be there on time with everyone else!"

There was a SLAM, then silence. Of the remaining people in the dining room, only Saver and Saber stared after her. Maiya went back to reading the paper, whereas Rin just walked over to the table to grab what was left of her morning tea and Maka sighed before standing up.

"...I guess this is just a thing with you guys?" Saver asked after he looked away from the door.

"Pretty much," Maka answered, then her gaze turned to the clock, grimacing slightly. "And speaking of the time, I've got to get going myself. Guess I'll see you all this evening."

Saber stood up from her own seat. "I suppose then I should make myself useful then. I'll stand guard here along with Maiya, since I cannot go with any of you to school."

"That's fine," Maiya spoke up. "Today's my day off anyways."

"And Saver will be coming with us," Rin added as she drained what remained of her tea. "Normally I wouldn't mind him staying here, but with Archer still recovering from last night, I'd rather have one battle-ready Servant nearby in case of danger.

Saver sighed. "Yeah, yeah, twist my arm why don'tcha..."

"What are the chances any other Servants will attack?" Shirou asked, surprising the others with his questions as he walked back out of the kitchen, Noel and Sakura trailing behind him. "I mean, the War is supposed to be secret for a reason. I don't think any of them would willing attack such a large group of witnesses in broad daylight."

"That's true," Maiya confirmed as she drained the last of her coffee. "Of the Servants we know about, Defender's Master would never dare to attack in broad daylight with innocents around, and the Einzbern Master wouldn't attempt to in such a crowded place with witnesses."

Rin nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she made a contemplative look. "The Assassins, assuming the one we saw from last night is alive, will probably stay in the background for an observant role, if any. As for Avenger..."

Here, everyone glanced towards Saber, Shirou just now remembering how she had shouted the knight's name before he lost consciousness. 'Mordred', she had called her.

'That's the name of the knight who killed King Arthur in the legends,' he thought to himself, '...but does that mean that she's...?"

"My 'son' may be a brash, strong-willed, and downright traitorous person," Saber replied. "But she still had some honor, even in those last days. She might have been willing to interrupt a battle just so she could have the honor of killing me, but she would never stoop so low as to involve innocent bystanders into the mix. I would recommend saying in the crowded public areas as often as possible, and avoid traveling alone for too long."

Shirou blinked at that little bit of information, then the full extent of the meaning came to him like a thunderbolt. However, it was not he who vocalized his surprise.

"Then... that means you're really-" Noel breathed, then Saber raised up her hand.

"I am indeed Arturia Pendragon, known to the world as Arthur Pendragon, 'son' of Uther and king of Britain." Saber replied stoically, though her attention was specifically on Shirou, as if trying to gauge his reaction to this bit of news.

"...Wow," Shirou just said.

Saber just raised an eyebrow questionably, while Rin snickered slightly, having already made the connection after what happened last night. "Geeze Shirou, only you could take such a bit of news so darn well like it was common knowledge," she said wickedly, earning her a slightly disapproving glance from Sakura.

"You don't seem that surprised," Saber simply said, ignoring her. "I would have thought such knowledge would illicit a... stronger response."

Shirou scratched the back of his head. "Well... I guess when you've found out your big-brother-and-sister figures are actually warriors from another universe who fought in a battle with seven other ones for a miracle, your father-figure was one of those previous Masters, one of your friends is a current Master to _two _Servants, another friend is apparently from a different dimension, that your own Servant was once your father's, and you've worked with other extremely powerful warriors who trained you to be a fighter, led by a dimensional-hopping guy who I am honestly starting to think knows more about what goes on behind the scenes than I give him credit for... I guess the fact that one of humanity's most well-known and celebrated heroes is actually a woman just sort of seems like standard."

Saber just raised an eyebrow at that last one in the list, but Maka coughed into her hand, attracting attention. "Well, I think it's about time you guys were off, huh?"

Rin glanced at the clock and seemed to jerk up straighter. "Oh crap, you're right! We're gonna be late if we don't hurry!" She grabbed the nearest person to her, who happened to be Sakura, and raced towards the door. "Come on Saver! I can't let that bitch Luvia one-up me in attendance!"

Sakura gave everyone a quick glance that said 'Help me' before being dragged away. "S-see you there, Shirou, Noel! Goodbye everyone!"

Saver sighed before getting up. "What a pain..." he mumbled, then looked at everyone else. "See ya later, I guess." With that, he disappeared.

Shirou and Noel looked at each other before heading to their rooms to grab their stuff. Before Shirou did though, he turned around to look at Saber one last time.

"And besides, the fact you're really a king doesn't change the fact you're my partner. I'm still gonna give it my all in helping you."

Despite herself, a small smirk flashed onto Saber's face. "Then we'll test that when you get back. Perhaps a spar in that dojo you have?"

Shirou grinned in return. "You got it."

He quickly turned and raced towards his room, and so actually missed the faintest of blushes that appeared on Saber's cheeks, unbeknownst even to her.

On the other hand, it was noticed by Maka, who raised an eyebrow of her own.

"I didn't think redheads were your type, quite honestly."

Saber blinked and turned towards Maka, her blush vanishing to be replaced with surprise.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Maka," she answered quickly. "If you believe I harbor any designs towards my Master, I assure I am-"

Maka waved her off with a grin and giggle. "Sorry, but I couldn't resist," she spluttered just as quickly before regaining composure. "But seriously, you shouldn't worry _too _much about Shirou. He can handle himself."

Saber looked back towards the door, noticing that Shirou and Noel had their stuff ready and facing Maiya, who had wandered over where they were during the conversation, apparently giving some sort of advice to the pair.

"I don't doubt that, from what you've told me," Saber replied. "Doubtless he would be able to challenge most any Master to single combat and come out victorious. However, this is not a war of Magi, as much as _some_," she didn't say a name, though Maka knew instinctively who she was referring to, "would beg to differ. This is a war of Servants, and I highly doubt that Shirou is strong enough to face one in battle. You saw what happened with Lancer, after all."

Maka flinched at the mention of that. Saber noticed and looked down with some level of regret.

"I'm sorry... it's just that... I don't want to add his name to the list of those I've failed to save and protect. I don't know how many more I can add to that list, especially with one such person apparently summoned and out for my blood. I need him to understand that."

Maka turned her head and watched as Shirou and Noel left through the door, faintly hearing them yell their goodbyes to Maiya, who watched stoically like a silent guardian.

"It's gonna take more than a simple spar to do that," she replied with a small smile. "You could knock him down a thousand times and he'll get back up a thousand and one more."

"If nothing else, it will allow me to gauge his relative skill level. You've heaped praise on him, but forgive me if I chose to test it for myself."

Maka shrugged, then downed the last of her coffee. "'Seeing is believing,' huh? You have fun with that then. I've got places to be."

"Are you going by foot?" Saber asked, but before Maka could answer they heard something rumble from outside, coming to a stop nearby.

"Yeah, I've got the time to anyways," Maka said as the sound faded, already walking towards the door. "That should be Soul. Mind helping him bring stuff in?"

Saber followed after her, her mind already attempting to identify the sound of the vehicle Soul had been riding. It was vaguely familiar to her. "Of course. It's only right of me, after all."

"Soul also brought something of yours along with him," Maka added as they made it to the door, Maiya having already walked outside to help. "Figured it was about time to return it."

Saber looked at her confused. "I don't recall leaving anything behind of importance."

Maka turned back with a raised eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

She punctuated that question with the opening of the door. Saber blinked for a moment, then she got a good look at the ride in question and just stopped.

A powerful black motorcycle, seemingly crafted for something more powerful than a mere human, stood parked right next to the curb in front of the wrecked gate, its silver parts gleaming in the sunlight. Like a steel lion it waited there for the turn of the key to start it up, and like a lion she knew instinctively the roar of its engines were the mightiest among its kind. Perhaps the closest thing to a present Kiritsugu ever gave her, she thought it was lost forever after the events of the Fourth War, yet the reality was staring her in the face. Its three headlights, two orange and one great white one, almost seemed to be staring at her, as if saying, 'What took you so long?'

It should have been impossible, but what Soul had driven in on was none other than the Yamaha V-Max, looking for all the world like it had stepped out of time to be here today.

Said driver walked right to her with a massive grin, carrying a backpack and a bag no doubt filled with essentials. "You really didn't think I'd let a baby like that go to waste, did you? Took me a long while, but I eventually fixed it up to drive like normal again, and I've been spending the past decade bringing it back to the max."

He used his free hand to reach into his pocket, pulling out a pair of keys that jingled in the sunlight. Saber recognized them: They were the spare pair that she gave Soul the last night they had fought together, after the battle with Archer, before circumstances had once more had them become enemies.

"I think it's only right the king should have her rightful steed back, huh?"

Saber stared at him, then back at the vehicle, then back at him. Slowly, ever so slowly like she was afraid they would disappear, she reached out and took the keys from him, staring down at them before clenching them tightly.

"...Thank you Soul," she said, a genuinely large smile on her face. "This means much to me."

From behind them, Maiya raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't intend to start racing through the streets on that beast in that dress," she deadpanned. "People will probably start asking questions."

Saber blinked, then looked almost... disappointed. "I suppose you're right," she admitted. "It would appear my riding days will have to wait for a little while longer."

Maka crossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure Rin has some old clothes she doesn't wear anymore. I'll see if I can get them from her mother."

Saber took two bags from Maiya, who had brought three others from the bike, and they took them inside. Once they dropped them off, Soul looked up at the clock and clicked his tongue. "Well, I guess I'll be off. Got to be at the mechanic's place in about an hour, but I can make it on foot. Take care you guys."

He turned to leave, but was stopped by Maka's hand on his shoulder. "Aren't you forgetting something mister?"

"Wha-" Soul's question stopped when Maka made him turn around and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, ignoring both Saber and Maiya, who were both very pointedly glancing away.

"Be careful, alright?" she told him. "Don't need to get news of you in the hospital anytime soon."

Soul just grinned slightly as he returned the embrace. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll be careful."

They stood there for a moment longer before Maka broke it. Soul smiled at her one last time, then turned his attention to the others in the room.

"Ladies," he said respectfully as he turned to walk away.

"Soul," Maiya and Saber responded in kind.

After Soul left through the door, Maka waited a few moments before turning to them. "Guess I'll be on my way too. Be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry," Maiya answered.

"None shall pass us while we're here," Saber added resolutely.

Maka smiled again, then turned to leave as well.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door, and all three stared at it.

"...Now who could that be?" Maka asked softly as she activated her Presence Detection, attempting to find out who it was. Maiya slowly moved back, reaching for a pistol hidden in pants, while Saber prepared to transform if necessary.

Suddenly, Maka relaxed, an action so sudden that it took the other two women a moment to realize she had done so.

"It's alright," she exasperatedly sighed. "They're friendlies... though it's just one familiar face after another these days..."

"Hey Edgar," the three of them suddenly heard a young woman shout from outside. "You sure about this? Soul just left and the others might not even be in right now..."

"Don't worry Lyn," came a male's voice, calm and slightly amused. "Maka's probably checking us out as we speak."

Maiya glanced towards the door. "What are _they_ doing here?" she asked quietly.

"No idea," Maka replied, "but I think I can guess."

"Who?" Saber asked simply, realizing she was out of the loop. She recalled Maka talking about an Edgar and Lyn earlier, but were they really...

Maka turned to her with a slightly exasperated smile. "Well Saber, get ready to meet my employers."

* * *

_**Homurahara Academy**_

"Emiya-san! Valenzuela-san!"

Shirou and Lambda, having just entered the school, turned their heads simultaneously at the sound of their names being called. Behind them, they saw Issei walking towards them, hand outstretched as if to stop their movement.

"Hey Issei," Shirou said once the bluenette managed to catch up, "What's up?"

Issei adjusted his glasses. "Just wanted to say hello to you both this morning," he replied, then turned towards Lambda. "Noel."

She nodded. "Ryuudou-san."

Issei nodded with a small smile, then turned back towards Shirou. "By the way, thanks for fixing up the stuff last night. Any problems?"

"Not really," Shirou replied casually. "I locked up afterwards and went home."

He flinched. "Oh yeah... sorry about your house."

Shirou looked at him weirdly. "Huh?"

Issei cocked his head. "You know, your house is damaged for some reason? It was in the morning paper."

It clicked. Shirou chuckled. "Oh yeah, that... thanks."

"No problem. Anyways, did you notice anything strange when you were going home?"

Shirou felt a slight bit of apprehension at that line of questioning, but answered. "Not really. Everything was pretty quiet when I left. Why?"

"Apparently there's been signs of... honestly I don't know how to describe it." Issei replied tentatively, glancing behind himself as if worried someone would overhear, yet everybody else was going about their own business. "There are a couple of shattered windows in the school and what appear to be craters up on the ceiling, like something was pounding into it. There's even been talk of finding traces of blood in one of the hallways. You were the last one here, so..." He shrugged.

It took all of Shirou's willpower to give away any sign that the news was truly affecting him, not the faintest sign of sweat as Issei spoke and maintaining an expression of equal parts curiosity and surprise. When his friend was finished, only then did he finally answer.

"Nope. Didn't see hide nor hair of anyone else while I was here. Guess I was gone when it happened."

Issei stared at him for a second, as if trying to judge if he was hiding something, then shrugged. "Well, see you both later then." He began to walk off, but then stopped as if he just remembered something. "Oh yeah! Just a heads up... apparently there's a new transfer student coming in today."

Shirou blinked. Literally the day after the War was declared and someone was being transferred in? This practically screamed 'Master!'

He noticed Lambda's glance. _Master?_

_Probably_. His own glance said. _But who?_

_Guess we'll find out soon enough._

Shirou broke contact, their silent conversation over within an instant, though Issei now had a raised eyebrow and slight smirk.

"Did I ever tell you two that it's kind of scary how you can communicate like that without words? I don't think twins have as good connections."

The three of them shared a brief chuckle, then Issei made his farewells as he walked off, the other two waving after him. Shirou just sighed. For him, after the bombshells that had been falling on him almost non-stop since last night, it was a refreshing change of pace. For a second, he actually felt like he was back to the time before legends from the past started to have battle-royales-to-the-death in his city.

"Emiya-san! Valenzuela-san!"

Shirou flinched at the voice, his previous illusion of peacefulness shattered. Turning his head, he saw a certain golden-haired girl that he had become quite accustomed to seeing over the past several weeks. Sure enough, it was Luvia Edelfelt, her face crafted into the that mask of perfection he was so accustomed to seeing on Rin's face.

Seriously, those two sometimes acted more like sisters than Rin and Sakura did, not in the least bit helped by the similar facial appearance, hairstyle, and even clothing.

"Edelfelt-san," Noel said first, bowing her head respectfully. "Good morning to you."

Shirou quickly snapped out of his previous funk and copied his friend. Luvia in turn gave them both a once-over with her eyes, as if sizing them up. But while this was more or less a natural action she always did, Shirou couldn't help but feel there was something deeper hidden inside this normally customary action.

Strangely, it kind of reminded him of whenever Rin scolded him for doing something reckless and stupid, yet he could almost sense the undercurrent of relief at him being okay along with it. But why would he be getting the same feeling from her right now, especially if what Rin had said about her being one of the Masters was true? Why would she care about the enemy?

"Is there something you wanted, Luvia-san?" he asked her, deciding they might as well see what she wanted.

His comment seemed to focus Luvia back to the present, because she blinked before subtly straightening herself. "No reason," she replied. "Just thought I'd be neighborly and say hello to two of the only people I seem to really know here at school. A moment's fancy, if you will."

"...Well, hello again, I guess."

Luvia then looked away. "By the way, you two have heard about the... how are they putting it... 'disturbances' that have been found around the school, right? There were supposedly even traces of blood found in the hallways, like someone was hurt, and I heard you were the last person here yesterday..."

"Issei was actually just talking about that," Lambda replied. "What about it is so important to you?"

Luvia gave a very quick bark of laughter. "Oh nothing at all!" she answered quickly, then just suddenly started to walk past both of them. "Just some curiosity... though you should really start cleaning up after yourself when you bleed all over, Emiya."

Caught off-guard at the sudden raise-and-drop of the subject, Shirou and Lambda just stared dumbly at her as she passed by, then suddenly stopped walking, her back to them.

"Although I'd recommend that you both be careful from here on out, especially you, Emiya," she said softly. "Fun as it was, I won't be around to clean up your messes all the time, and Rin can only do so much for you with her two Servants. Tread lightly. It would be such a shame to see two people such as yourselves die."

"Is that a threat, Edelfelt?" Shirou whispered back, his voice slowly lowering. He had no quarrel with her, but if it came down to it...

"Simply a fact," Luvia replied. "I have no quarrel with you, just with Rin: In fact, I would prefer if we never had to come to blows." She then began to walk again. "Of course, since you're apparently allies with her now, I suppose it doesn't really matter, huh? Just don't get in my way and you'll be fine."

Before either of them could answer, she had already walked off. Lambda and Shirou watched her go, both with their own thoughts.

Lambda turned to Shirou. "...Well, that went better than expected."

The sound of the bell interrupted whatever Shirou would have said in return.

* * *

_**Homeroom 2-C**_

'Whew, that was close,' Lambda thought to herself as she settled down into her seat, having removed her ever-present pair of sunglasses and put them in their special case. It was a good thing her and Shirou's homeroom wasn't that far away from the entrance, because they had perhaps five minutes before class started at the sound of the first bell. Luckily, they had made it in time and taken their seats: Herself near the back and towards the center, Shirou himself sitting three seats and one row in front of her, and Issei, who had offered them both a nod of acknowledgment, sitting nearby. Absent was Rin, Sakura, and Luvia, all with their own separate homerooms from them and each other.

...Well, that wasn't _entirely_ true. Rin and Luvia had briefly shared a homeroom, but after an... incident involving an insult-match, someone throwing a punch, and the fire extinguisher exploding (which she called total BS on the explanation it was due to a 'malfunction'.), they had been separated into different rooms.

'And to think both of them are Masters in this War...' she mused to herself, briefly touching the marks on the back of her own hand, denoting her status as a 'Master' to Maka and Soul. 'You'd think the Grail would choose people who were a little more... mature.'

Not that she could really talk, considering Shirou was even worse than those two were and he was a Master too. Not to be demeaning to her friend, but a majority of his training had been dedicated to improving both his swordsmanship and endurance, both skills his Magecraft (Structural Analysis, Reinforcement, and Graduation Air (Tracing as he liked to call it)) was best suited for. Admittedly, he could probably dodge or tank shots like a champ until he got in close enough to use his sword (or swords, if he managed to Project a copy) or just use guns from long-range, but most Magi had defenses against the latter and would be difficult to get close to anyways.

And while he did have _some _ranged magic capability thanks to the Tracing ability, he could only hurl one or two swords at a time compared to her rain of them, even with Reinforcement, and he wasn't very accurate at that with the one weapon he could reliably Trace. There's a difference between firing a gun, hurling a knife, and throwing a full-sized cutlass at a person after all.

Then again, who was she to talk? She got her ass handed to her by Lancer regardless. At least Shirou had been able to last longer.

'And that's why I did this. To make sure we all last to the end,' she thought resolutely. 'But speaking of Rin... I never would have thought that she'd summon someone that I-'

She shook her head, dispelling those thoughts (which could wait until later) and instead deciding to catch up on the most recent gossip. And no, when she gathered gossip, she didn't partake in it, she simply listened. True, it was usually worthless garbage about fashion, sports, or some other such nonsense, but every once in a while she found something worth the effort.

Like now.

"I hear that we have a new student coming in-"

"Another?"

"Yeah, apparently-"

"-and a new teacher too!"

"What happened to Souichirou-sama?"

"No idea-"

"I think he moved away..."

"Apparently they're both guys-"

"Is he hot?"

"Supposedly they're from out of the country..."

Lambda frowned. 'They could be Masters...' she thought to herself, 'or maybe they're Master and Servant working undercover. Actually, they could _both _be Servants... or maybe its all just a big coincidence.'

She was interrupted from her musings by the sound of the door slamming open, jerking her head upwards as Taiga Fujimura came bounding in with her usual enthusiasm, only slightly tempered by the so-called need to be professional.

"Good morning everybody!" she greeted with a great smile and slightly more excitement than usual.

The class responded with as loud a greeting, if lacking in emotion. Still, Taiga didn't seem to lose a speck of her usual perkiness. In fact, her presence seemed to almost jolt the room with a syringe of caffeine, slowly waking up the sleeping giant. Lambda had to give points for that: She certainly believed in her job.

"Right then!" she continued as she began the morning announcements. "As I'm sure some of you have heard the rumors, there is in fact a new student and teacher coming into the school starting today, the former for about week or so depending on events. The student will actually be joining our class for this time, so I want you all to give him a warm welcome!" She turned her head towards the door. "You can come in now!"

There was a brief silence from the hallway as if no one was there. Then, just as the atmosphere in the room reached its peak from curiosity and confusion, the new student walked right in.

Well, simply saying he 'walked' in would probably be an understatement. He seemed to enter the room with the air of one who had the utmost confidence in himself, the sort of hidden swagger that seemed to just say 'Yeah, I'm awesome, I know I'm awesome, and I can prove it to you when I kick all of your collective asses while being badass.' However, he didn't even seem to be actively trying to flaunt it: It was almost as if he was exuding it with his very presence.

It was even more impressive he could pull this off while wearing the standard school uniform, though the teen himself made up for it. His hair was dark blue, chin-length and slightly curly, and he was just slightly taller than Shirou, and despite his uniform one could see just the faintest signs of muscles beneath it. He was also very handsome, appearing to only be slightly older than Shirou yet looking more impressive than some of those models you see in magazines, and a glance around the class showed that almost all the single girls (and a majority of the ones with boyfriends) were ogling him and even the ones who were committed to their sweethearts seemed to be struggling to avoid looking at him too long.

In fact, he resembled one of the members of OSG, Shinji Matou, so much so that Lambda actually thought she was looking at his identical twin. However, there were key differences. His eyes were a deep purple and narrower, his skin, though not pure white, was pale compared to Shinji's tan, and upon closer inspection there were hints of gold speckled throughout his hair, making her wonder if he had dyed it. Also, while Shinji had discovered the art of purposely projecting a sense of superiority to those around him (and have the bite to back up his bark), this guy seemed to be doing it without any conscious effort, as if he was so confident in himself it was literally showing itself off to the world.

Finally coming to a stop in front of the board, he picked up a piece of chalk and quickly wrote his name down on it. Before she could make out what was written, he then turned around and looked the class full-on in the eyes, his glance going from each person individually, though it seemed to linger on Shirou for slightly longer. About his neck, the only sign of an accessory was a small necklace he wore over the uniform, plain with a small silver disk at the end, seemingly engraved with some sort of leaf.

When it got to her though, all he did was blink before a small smile crossed his face.

"Greetings everyone," he said in a strong, surprisingly fluent Japanese voice tinged with a British accent as he turned his attention back to the class as a whole, leaving her to wonder why on Earth he did that. "My name is Liam, Liam Valentine. A pleasure to meet you all, and I hope to have an interesting time while here."

'...This guy definitely isn't normal,' Lambda decided. 'This guy is something else.'

* * *

_**Homeroom 3-B**_

'Well, that one question from last night answered for the day,' Rin immediately thought as she observed her new homeroom teacher and to-be social studies teacher, who had been hastily and nervously introduced to the class by the principal. His cat-like green eyes and surprisingly handsome visage observed each and every student calmly and without any trace of emotion, not unlike Souichirou Kuzuki. But unlike their former teacher, this man was almost distinctly _in_human, the very air he gave off almost oppressive in nature, to the point that even his looks weren't enough to allow one to last long under his gaze.

Her new homeroom teacher was apparently the very same Assassin Berserker had supposedly turned to ashes last night. Unless of course he was his identical twin, and in which case there was no doubt another sibling who was a world famous detective and loved screwing with people.

Jokes aside, there was really no mistaking him. The fact that most people don't have identically pale skin like an albino (though not as white as it had been last night), teal markings down the face like tears (though they came to a stop once past his eyebags, and said face seemingly carved from marble to resemble a sad statue wasn't helping his case, and even the dark-green/grey suit and black tie he was wearing didn't make him seem more natural than when he wore that white jacket, hakama, and bone helmet from last night.

Yes, Rin Tohsaka could say without any hesitation that this man was a Servant, and even if she hadn't recognized him as Assassin she still would have come to that conclusion. There was just something too alien about him to be seen otherwise, an air of death and... emptiness about him.

'And that means whoever the new student is is no doubt his Master,' she deduced to herself. 'But why go through the trouble of making him a teacher if it was just a matter of blending in?'

Meanwhile, Saver and Archer were within the room with her, astralized and both of their attentions on the disguised Servant.

_"How the hell is that guy still alive?" _Saver asked his partner telepathically, possible only due to the fact they shared the same Master, from his position near Rin, his 'eyes' narrowed in guardedness in case Assassin tried anything, unlikely as it was. _"Berserker turned him into a literal barbecue last I saw."_

_"No idea," _Archer answered, himself near the back of the room to have a better vantage point, though his 'eyes' were locked on Assassin all the same, though more out of curiosity than any malice. _"Then again, we saw him shoot giant beams of energy from his hand and move faster than we could follow with vision alone. That might have just been a taste of his power."_

_'And this is definitely not my timeline, without a shadow of a doubt,' _he added silently to himself. _'I'd remember someone who looked like the saddest emo clown in the world.'__  
_

"W-Well Mr. Cifer," Principal Daisuke, an older-looking cleanshaven gentleman, said quickly, apparently able to sense the tense feelings that were building up in the room, "is there anything else you need?"

"...No, that will be all, sir," he answered calmly, his Japanese surprisingly fluent for a supposed foreigner. "I believe I can handle it from here. I shall report any discipline problems as necessary."

The principal nodded. "V-Very good then," he answered, then gave the class a once over. "I'll... just leave you to it then."

The official quickly made his exit, and Assassin watched him leave. Once the door had shut, he turned his attention back to the class, his stare not changing in the slightest.

"As you are all aware from my introduction, my name is L. Cifer," he began, his expression potent enough that it suppressed even the usual snickers one would get from hearing such a name. Not to say that there hadn't been any when he had first been introduced, though the sudden increase in the air pressure and cold temperature in the room had killed those off faster than crushing an ant. "And for the next several days I will serve as your substitute teacher until such time as your previous one, Souichirou-san, will be replaced with a new candidate. Until then, I only have three things for you all to understand."

"One: As your teacher, I expect only the utmost respect and obedience from all of you, though if you must choose, I would prefer you to be the latter. Do as I say."

"Two: If you want my advice or have questions, do not expect me to hold back: It will be brutally honest. In turn, I expect you to be honest with me. If you so choose to lie though, I will not hold it against you... just be certain that you put actual effort into it so I actually have to try to see if you're lying. There's nothing worse in the world than one who can't lie to save his life."

"Three: Do not attempt to make me angry. I am a patient man, but even I have my limits. The last person to make me truly angry..." here, he trailed off, though the pressure in the room seemed to intensify again before settling, "...well, it didn't end well."

His gaze seemed to finally settle specifically on Rin, his green eyes boring into her aqua ones. It was only for an instance, but the message that his stare held was passed as clearly to her as if he had shouted with everyone in here listening.

_"I will not harm you or your friends... but attempt to strike me while I am here, and not even these 'innocents' will be spared in my efforts to destroy you all."_

They say that eyes are windows to the soul, and just as Rin registered that Assassin wasn't lying in the slightest about his statement (she couldn't say 'threat', because that implied he might _not _willingly kill the people in the school), Assassin registered that Rin understood the truth and accepted it, and so he turned away.

As if on cue, the bell rang, signalling the start of the first classes. Despite the normal perfection model she tried to project, this time Rin didn't hesitate to leave the room as fast as possible, trying to get as far away from Assassin as possible. She brought a hand to her head and it came away wet, the sure sign of sweat.

'This day couldn't get any worse, could it?' she wondered to herself.

_"And now you've jinxed us," _Saver said simply.

_"Please don't say things like that Master," _Archer's voice echoed. _"You'll just make it worse."_

_"Shut up, both of you," _she replied, vocally expressing her stress with a groan and pinching the bridge of her nose.

* * *

_**Downtown Fuyuki**_

"I can't believe we're doing this."

Caren sighed at the words that came out of Avenger's mouth, taking a moment to look away from the window of the cake shop she was peering into to stare at her casual-clothed Servant's discontented face.

"And as I've responded to your statement the past twenty times we've been walking, duly noted," Caren answered calmly, not affected at all by her Servant's scowl. "However, what we're doing right now is more important than any misgivings we have about it. We need allies if we intend to win this War."

"Maybe, but I still don't like it," Avenger answered with a sigh as they started walking again. For supposedly the downtown of Fuyuki, it was surprisingly empty of people, though that could be excused for school and work-related reasons considering it was still early morning. "After what happened last night, I don't know if we can trust Fallen or his unknown Master."

"What?" Caren asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking slightly as she took a moment to buy a rolled-up newspaper at a random stand, paying the man his money and wishing him good day, to which he offered in turn. "Are you still angry about the fact he beat you?"

"He didn't beat me!" she responded explosively.

_Avenger smashed against the far wall with enough force to leave a sizable imprint of herself in the wall, blinking slightly as the dark angel simply made the bulky metal gauntlet that had replaced his earlier hand blades and covered his entire arm disappear, leaving him weaponless._

_"As fun as it would be actually fighting someone worth the effort," he said with a slight tinge of disappointment at cutting the fight short. "I didn't come here to fight." He glanced towards the other three in the room, noting that Caster, while still in a ready position, seemed almost amused by his partner's defeat. "I came here on behalf of my Master."_

_"For what?" Shiroumine asked calmly, his face not betraying any fear._

_Fallen shrugged. "What else? An alliance."_

"...He just... postponed our battle," Avenger finished slowly and somewhat meekly, then glared at her Master as if daring her to disagree.

Caren rolled her eyes. "Whatever preserves your pride," she replied. "Still, it doesn't change the fact he could be useful in the coming days. The least we could do is see what he's offering."

Avenger glanced away, her eyes narrowed as an irritable look settled on her face, an expression Caren was very acquainted with whenever her Servant was faced with a situation she didn't like but had to accept.

"Besides, this way, you'll have all the opportunities to fight him as you wish," she added with a smirk, watching as Avenger's face brightened slightly at that thought. Seriously, her Servant was something of a battle junkie. "I myself am more curious to learn more about his mysterious Master. Either way this meeting goes, we'll get at least something of what we want."

"Well said!"

Both women immediately assumed instinctively defensive stances, Avenger ready to transform and Caren preparing to use the Sanrei Glove, at the sound of the voice. Their eyes immediately glanced around before Caren did the logical thing to do when your quarry has wings and looked up. Sure enough, Fallen was above them on a lampost, smirking down at them both before jumping off and landing on his feet in front of them in his civilian attire.

In terms of appearance, it wasn't too major: A black leather jacket, a white undershirt, jeans, black and white shoes. His laurels were missing, though he still had the purple gem from before attached to front of his jacket like some sort of coat-of-arms, which upon further observation made sense, because around it was silver stitching in the form of two bows crossed over with arrows at the ready. His wings were also strangely absent, though for all Caren knew they were folded to his back with some sort of special harness like that American comic book character... from the X-Men, wasn't it called?

Fallen took a moment to look at both of them, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting Caster to come along, but Kotomine didn't want to either? Or are you sort of like his, I don't know, errand girls?"

Avenger's eyes narrowed as her shock gave way to an angry scowl. "What did you say!?"

She would have tried to punch him right then and there, but Caren simply rapped her on the head with her unopened newspaper, the sheer suddenness and unexpectedness of it happening rather than actually being hurt stopping her. Her Master then gave her a disapproving stare, then turned to Fallen with a serene expression.

"Sorry about that, but Avenger has... issues being called the g-word. I would suggest avoid using it at all while around her."

Fallen blinked and then looked back at Avenger, his gaze on her attire. "You know, for someone who claims to hate being called a girl, you don't seem to have a problem wearing your hair like one or showing off your midriff," he observed, causing Avenger's scowl to become down-right murderous. "We should call you the Knight of Hypocrisy."

"Well, I _did_ have another outfit in mind," Caren replied. "But Avenger took one look at it and begged me to put it back. The only thing she kept was the jacket."

Avenger's scowl faded to a grimace as she suppressed a shudder. She wouldn't have been caught dead wearing those shorts or that... shirt (how on Earth could they call something that only covered her chest area a _shirt_!?). She would have never been able to wander around in public with her head held high again in that outfit. God, what if _Father_ had seen her in that...

"Anyways," Fallen then said, snapping Avenger out of her slowly budding nightmares, "I suppose it'll be fine even with just you two... I assume that Kotomine _does_ trust you with this matter?"

"If he did not," Caren replied calmly, "I wouldn't be here, would I?"

Fallen looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. Caren was actually surprised by how accepting he was instead of making a fuss. This Servant was surprisingly mature for someone so young looking.

"In that case, we should move this to a more comfortable, _public_ area." He stressed that word, making it clear he had no intentions of leading them to a trap and defuse potential doubts. "A cafe to be exact. My Master will meet both of you there to begin our peace talks.

Caren's stomach suddenly rumbled, causing both Servants to stare at her. To her credit, the nun's expression didn't change once from stoicness. "Yes, that seems acceptable. Nothing like forging alliances than sitting in a booth sipping coffee."

Fallen chuckled slightly, then looked at Avenger. "You know, your Master's not that bad," he admitted. "I think I'm gonna look forward to working with you in the future."

"Shut up and show us where the damn cafe is already," she grumbled back. Fallen smirked slightly at her tone (oh, how she wanted to stab him right now...) and then gave them a slight bow.

"Follow me then."

* * *

_"Rakkety Rakkety Rakkety Tam, the drums are beatin' braw.  
Rakkety Rakkety Rakkety Tam, are ye marchin' off tae war?_

_A warrior from the borders came, a buckler o'er his shoulder,  
a claymore swingin' at his side, there's no' a beast who's bolder!_

_O Rakkety Tam has sold his sword, ah scarce believe he's done it.  
He swore an oath untae a fool, who took his pledge upon it!"  
_

Starrk paused in his humming of the catchy tune as he took a moment to glance around the area of the city he had just entered. If memory served right from a decade ago, he was somewhere near the shopping district of the city. He took a moment to scratch his head as he tried to recall why he had come to this particular part, then blinked as he recalled exactly why, reaching into his coat pocket.

"Now, where did I put that list...?" he muttered to himself, searching for several seconds feeling paper in his grip. "Ah! There we go..."

He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper, taking a moment to try and decipher the writing upon it. Cursive was never his strong point, and Beast seemed to just love using it. However, he eventually made out what was on the list, including but not limited to the following: Gunpowder, several pure elements including sulfur, magnesium, and lead, home chemicals like alcohol and gun-cleaning solution, and, strangely enough, vegetables and fruits. It looked like some sort of mad scientist's ingredient list.

'Why exactly was I the guy sent to do this?' he wondered to himself again.

'It's because Edgar and Lyn had to go and see if they could find Maka and Soul, and Beast had to do the whole undercover mission bit,' his memory told him.

"Hmmm..." he sighed to himself, then put the list back into his pocket. "I really should invest in engineering and robotics. Have a drone do all my jobs for me while I sleep."

Still, he walked on, glancing towards the store signs for any hope of finding the right places. As he did, he absentmindedly hummed that tune from earlier to himself as he continued on. A childish poem he had found in a book that could basically be summed up as 'Lord of the Rings with animals,' he enjoyed humming it to himself every now and then.

_..."An who will stand wi' Rakkety Tam tae win the king's royal standard?  
Wild Doogy Plumm the highlander of rough and ready manner!_

_Those fighters o' the Long Patrol have vowed tae give no quarter,  
a roarin' blood'n'vinegar when chargin' tae the slaughter!"_

Ah, Brian Jacques was truly a grand author. Really was a tragedy for his family and the world at large when he died.

He sighed again as he stopped in front of a toy store, taking a moment to notice the animal plushies that were stored on the window sill. Absentmindedly, he noticed a teenaged blonde girl standing in front of said window, seemingly staring intently at a particular one.

'Strange, didn't school was out quite yet...' he thought to himself, then shrugged, deciding he might as well ask for directions. As he approached, he tipped his grey hat to her in greeting.

"Good day ma'am," he said politely. "Might I ask a question?"

The blonde girl turned her attention from her observation of the window sill and blinked her green eyes towards him in surprise. "Oh, good day!" she replied quickly, yet also with a warm, friendly tone. "A pleasure, sir. Yes?"

Starrk himself actually blinked in surprised. The girl in front of him, clad in blue jeans and shoes, a white shirt with a red tie, a blue jacket with gold trimming, and a blue beret, looked like the spitting image of a younger Lambda, just with green eyes instead of red and a darker shade of blond hair.

She noticed his look and tilted her head. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head. "Oh no, it's just... well, you remind me an acquaintance of mine. You could actually be her little sister, come to think of it."

A slight smile tugged at her lips. "Should I be proud?"

He shrugged. "Don't see why not. Anyways, do you happen to know where I could find a hardware store? It's been awhile since I've been here last, just sightseeing, mind you, yet so much's changed."

Her expression became contemplative as she thought about it, looking down the row of stores that were nearby. "I think there was one... four stores down or so? I'm not from around here myself, but I think I spotted one when I was with my friend."

Starrk's expression itself didn't change, but on the inside his mind had zeroed in on her last sentence and was now alert. "Really now? Visiting relatives?" he asked casually. "The sights? Romantic getaway with your 'friend'?"

She blushed at the last one. "N-Nothing like that! Just-"

"Making friends already, Noellers?"

Both suddenly turned their heads towards the entrance to the store, watching as a young man exited with a bag hanging on his arm. He was wearing white pants, a grey jacket over a black undershirt, and black and grey shoes. Despite his youth, he had silver-grey hair styled into a sort of spiky mullet and and ponytail hanging down from the back of his head. His green eyes, a slightly darker shade than the girl's, Noel was her name apparently ('Huh,' he thought quickly, 'even their names are identical. Kinda funny.'), stared into his blue-grey ones.

Surprisingly, despite his somewhat delinquent look, he actually held his hand out slowly towards Starrk. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure, Mister..."

"Starrk," Starrk replied, taking his hand and surprised by the rather firm grip. "Raymond Starrk."

"It's Grey. Grey Hellsing," he replied respectfully. "Anything I can help you with, Mr. Starrk?"

"Nothing really," he answered truthfully. "I just needed directions to the nearest hardware store. You know, supplies for fixing some broken stuff around the house. Your friend already gave me some, thankfully." 'Also wanted to find out more about you both specifically, but I think I'll lay off for now.'

He then turned back towards the so-called Noel. "Although I don't believe I caught your name."

She smiled slightly. "Cinque. Noel Cinque. A pleasure, Mr. Starrk."

Starrk looked between the two of them, then offered a small smile as he tipped his hat in gratefulness. "A pleasure to meet you both. If you'll excuse me now..."

He walked past them both, then spared a glance backwards, noticing that Grey's expression had become slightly exasperated as he handed the bag to Noel, who slowly took it and glanced inside. A small chuckle escaped him as Noel, still holding on to the bag, suddenly grabbed the teen in a hug as if to say 'thank you', and Grey's expression morphed to partly annoyed yet also with a very small smile.

"Still, better keep an eye out for them again," he decided as he went back to observing the store signs, finally finding the hardware store. "Good thing I took the time to try and sense their spiritual pressure. I should be able to track them to an extent now..."

Yes, he supposed today was off to a rather well one.

* * *

Today was not going very well.

That was the thought on Bazett's mind as she and Lancer faced down the most recent troubling obstacle to them. In the past 24 hours, the two of them had gotten into a world of trouble: From Lancer finding and fighting the Servant Saber, learning of the existence of a person who could apparently fight on a Servant's level and getting slashed, to getting drunk and being chewed out by Master Velvet and Rider while learning about the events that happened afterwards.

So, this morning she had decided to go for a morning run, hoping that the morning air could clear the last of the pounding headache hammering her skull, with Lancer deciding to tag along since he didn't want to stay in the same house with Rider for an extended period of time. After about thirty minutes, they eventually decided to try and find a coffee shop or something similar to grab a treat and quench their thirst (well, Lancer didn't need that last one).

Thus came their current predicament, in the form of a little white-haired girl and a man with tanned skin and similar-colored hair they had quite literally bumped into coming around a corner. And while that wouldn't normally wouldn't have been worrisome, said girl and man just so happened to match the descriptions Rider had given about the Einzbern Master and her Servant Berserker.

"I swear, your fucking E-Rank luck is rubbing off on me," she muttered to Lancer, who in turn was doing his best to keep a somewhat calm visage.

"Bitch about it later, okay?" he whispered back, then turned his attention to the Master of Berserker. "Aheheheh... sorry about that?"

Normally, it would be unbecoming of him to be so nervous in front of an enemy, but after hearing about what Berserker could apparently do in combat, he didn't exactly want to risk his Master if things suddenly turned ugly.

The girl took notice their expressions with her red eyes and then simply smiled. "Well, a Master and her Servant out in the daylight? What a coincidence!"

The two of them just blinked at her words. They weren't expecting a sentence like that. "Uh..."

Ilya raised her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "What? You thought I was honestly going to start something in broad daylight? This is my free time you know."

Bazett and Lancer relaxed somewhat at her words, but the former glanced towards Berserker and noticed that he still looked like he wouldn't hesitate to rip them both apart if they made one wrong move.

Ilya noticed her glance. "Oh Berserker? He wouldn't hurt a fly unless I ordered him to. Don't worry about it." She then looked at them both seriously. "By the way, you two wouldn't happen to know where a cafe is, would you?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, surprised by the level of casualness she was showing throughout this exchange.

'Then again, she has what might very well be the most broken Servant of this War,' Bazett thought grimly. 'I guess she can afford to be like this.'

"...Uh, yeah," Bazett slowly said, gesturing in a vague direction somewhere behind the Berserker team. "I think there's one called Ahnenerbe somewhere back the way you came."

Ilya looked back behind her. "Huh, must have missed it then." She then back towards Bazett. "You're not just saying that to get rid of us, are you?" she asked, though there was a hint of a threat in the question.

Both Bazett and Lancer shook their heads. Ilya stared for a moment longer and then shrugged. "Well, thanks for your help! Let's go, Berserker!"

"Right," the mad Servant said for the first time, though it honestly didn't surprise Bazett. After all, Berserkers weren't exactly Servants that even powerful Masters allowed to wander around except while in battle. The fact he was walking in broad daylight in casual wear no doubt meant he had at least some level of control over himself. The pair then turned around and began walking back.

Lancer and Bazett watched them go. Finally, the former turned to his Master.

"So... wanna go somewhere else to eat?"

Bazett just sighed. "Whatever. Let's just get takeout."

"Can we get chicken nuggets? I like those things."

Bazett was seriously beginning to wonder if she should have just given up the Command Seals when she got them.

"I'll buy if you're so depressed. Velvet did give me some money after all."

...Okay, maybe that line of thinking was getting a little too negative.

"Let's just go."

* * *

**_Homurahara Academy_**

Shirou, Rin, and Lambda found themselves sitting in the courtyard of the school at lunch, eating their food in a rather secluded area of the place. Rin would have preferred the roof, but it was currently being repaired from the results of last night's battle and as such was forbidden from being approached by students for now.

"So," she began as she looked at her comrades, "we know for a fact that at least the new teacher's a Servant."

The others nodded. There was no arguing that point.

"However, it doesn't look like there are any Bounded Fields set around the school," she continued. "I guess there aren't any Masters that desperate for extra power for their Servants."

"Or could be that they just aren't willing to tangle with Assassin," Lambda offered as she bit into her bologna sandwich. "That was a bold move his Master made to willingly expose his Servant like that. Maybe he suspects that such a display of confidence and supposed strength will frighten off any desperate scavengers."

"And from what we've seen, such confidence probably isn't unfounded," Rin conceded. "If he could survive an attack like that from Berserker, who knows what else he could do?"

"I'm more interested in the new student though," Shirou interrupted, his eyes elsewhere. Rin and Lambda followed it to another table, where Liam was trying to eat his lunch while simultaneously attempting to pointedly annoy the girls who were staring at him with hearts in their eyes. "I don't think he's a Master, honestly."

"Why do you say that?" Lambda asked. She had her suspicions as well, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Just his smell," Shirou replied, which made Rin snort slightly in laughter. He looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Really?"

"Sorry, but I can't help but think of you with a bloodhound's nose when you say that," she answered him.

Shirou rolled his eyes. "Like I was saying, whenever I've been around a Servant recently, I keep smelling a powerful stench about them, though it's different for each Servant. I keep getting a similar sense of power from Liam."

"What does it smell like?" Rin questioned him.

Shirou set his jaw for a moment as he thought about, then answered as well as he could. "It smells like... the forest in the spring, along with frogs and... something foul and very old."

"That's a weird combination," Lambda quipped.

Shirou shrugged. "The last one's faint, but it's there."

Rin sighed. "Well, can't argue with the dog Magus, can I? Still, that leaves the question of whether or not those two are allied or if it's just coincidence they both arrived on the same day."

"We could just ask," Shirou offered. "We could even forge an alliance with him if we're lucky."

Rin looked like she was about to say something, then paused as if she just saw something. Suddenly, she just started laughing bitterly. "Not a bad idea, Shirou... too bad someone already did it."

"Huh?"

She gestured back towards the table Liam sat at. Shirou and Lambda turned just in time to see Luvia, who was sitting next Liam and saying something to him. They couldn't tell what or his response, but when Luvia got back up she had a small smile on her face as if she just scored a potential victory.

A brief glance over to them and that smile became a smirk that screamed, 'Better luck next time.'

Meanwhile, Liam got up from his seat and was walking away with his now empty tray.

"...Well, there went that golden opportunity," Lambda said simply, then looked around. "Where's Sakura, by the way? Isn't she usually here by now?"

"She had to stay behind in her last class to do some work," Rin replied. "Said she probably wouldn't be here."

"So, what's the plan now?" Shirou asked.

"For now, I guess we'll just go out at night to find Servants to fight, and then rest and recuperate during the day while trying to find new information and observing the Servants we do know about." Rin answered. "Right now, there's no need to _really_ go on the offensive. We can afford to wait."

Shirou sighed. "That's good." That meant he would have time to spar with Saber. He was already anticipating their upcoming match... even if he would probably lose so hard. Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained as the saying went.

"What, Shirou?" Lambda asked with a slight teasing tone, "already looking forward to being with your new girlfriend?"

Shirou suddenly blushed at her words. "Wait, what!?"

Rin sighed/chuckled at their bickering. It was a testament to how things were still so very normal on the surface. And soon things would lose even the pretense of being so.

_"What do you think, Saver?" _she decided to question her Servant. _"What say you on the subject of the coming trials?"_

_..._

_"...Saver?"_

Rin turned her head to where she had last seen her immaterial Servant. Well, even if she couldn't 'see' him with her eyes, she could still sort of sense him through their link, which manifested, to her, in the form of a sort of discoloration of the surroundings wherever he was.

He was gone without a trace, and so was Archer.

'...Goddamnit,' she thought, 'just when I wanted to talk to them too. Now where'd they run off to?'

* * *

_**Academy Rooftop**_

The school roof was currently closed off to students and faculty, but there still were no workers attempting to fix up the damage. Due to having only been discovered this morning, construction workers were informed rather suddenly hadn't been able to start working immediately on such short notice. Said work would begin this afternoon, after the students left for home, but until then the rooftop was as untouched as it had been last night.

As such, no one would think to look upwards and expect to see anyone up there at this time.

_"You shouldn't have come along."_

"You shouldn't have decided to go commando on us."

...Of course, keyword was 'expect'.

Archer and Saver found themselves sitting on said abandoned rooftop, the former still in astral form staring into the courtyard while the latter was in the center of the roof so as to avoid being seen by anyone on the ground, currently lying on his back staring up into the sky.

Archer spared a glance towards his partner. _"Are you always so carefree on days like this?"_

"Hey, where I come from, I'm a wanted criminal with the largest bounty in the world on my head, not to mention all the people and things wanting to fuck my life personally that have nothing to do with that," Saver answered. "I've learned to enjoy the peaceful moments when I can. Besides, it's been awhile since I've seen the sky so clear. Doesn't feel the same when I'm all invisible."

'Actually kind of feels like the old days before everything went to hell... with the Sister and Jin... and Saya...' he thought, growing more somber with each word.

"Besides, what you expecting to find?" he asked Archer in turn. "That emo Assassin more or less made it clear he's not taking any action against us yet, and that 'Liam' guy's still down there doing nothing. What, you're thinking about trying to snipe him right here and now?"

_'Not a bad idea,' _Archer admitted to himself, then said aloud. _"Tempting as that is, can't exactly give our position away like that. For all we know Assassin could be waiting even now for us to do something stupid so he can give his Master an excuse to kill us. Besides, there's still one other Servant unaccounted for, and his Master might very well have made an offer of alliance to Liam. Wouldn't want to give him an excuse to mistrust us and her an opportunity to sway him completely to her side."_

Saver lifted his head. "You mean Defender and his Master? That Luvia girl?"

_"No, it's the other blond rich girl with a powerful black knight up her sleeve and an almost suggestive relationship with our Master peppered with trying to kill each other." _Archer answered. _"Who else?"_

"Piss off," Saver replied with a grunt.

_"On you?"_

This time Saver didn't rise to the bait. "Yeah, yeah, so what? That was just a warm-up. I'll take him down next time."

_"We'll see."_

"And I eagerly await it."

Archer and Saver snapped their heads around to suddenly see Defender, unarmored, unhelmeted and wearing a completely black suit, standing near the entrance to the rooftop as if he had been there the whole time, raise his hand in a gesture of surrender. "At ease warriors," he said simply, "I didn't come here to fight."

"How did you-"

Defender raised an eyebrow. "You've been carrying out a conversation with thin air for the past several minutes. Doesn't take a genius to figure out there's another one here also." His eyes passed over the general area where Archer was. "And no doubt you can hear me, Servant Archer. You might as well come away from the edge and reveal yourself. I prefer to speak to others in person with their faces visible.

Archer grimaced slightly, but figured he might as well: He couldn't exactly start taking potshots over the edge. That would require materializing, and any sign of a weapon would no doubt have the black knight swinging something in his face before he could defend himself. Really, there's was nothing to lose.

He reappeared, moving away from the edge as he did so to make sure no one would accidentally see him.

"Well, Defender?" Saver asked as Archer stopped walking, sitting up to look the warrior in the eyes. "What are you doing here? Come for a rematch already?"

Defender simply leaned back against the entrance. "Unfortunately no. My Master has forbidden me from taking offensive action around this area for now, due to the presence of so many Servants, particularly Assassin, and the risk to the students. I'm simply here because she told me to go and perform some reconnaissance, limited as that can be, and just so happened to come across you apparently having a conversation with thin air."

"You don't have anything better to do?" Archer asked.

"Again no... I suppose you could say I'm a little bored right now," Defender seemed to... sigh(?) It was kind of hard to tell.

There was silence for the longest of moments, as none of the three warriors knew how to proceed under these circumstances. Finally, it was Saver who broke it.

"...So... got any good stories to tell?" Saver asked, causing both friend and enemy to look at him with confused expressions. "I mean, it's not like anything interesting happening right now. Might as well pass the time somehow."

"...I suppose one or two wouldn't hurt," Defender replied. "So long as we're all willing to share."

Archer blinked for a second, then suddenly realized this could be a golden opportunity to learn more about Defender's background and figure out his identity. The chances were slim, true, but since Saver wasn't even from this world apparently and he himself from the future and thus no legend to look upon, they stood to lose nothing and gain everything.

'Well... aside from the whole 'Counter-Guardian' bit, but still.'

"...Why not?" Archer finally said, sitting down next to Saver. "I've got nothing to hide."

Defender slowly moved off his position and sat down as well, though slightly further away from either warrior than they were to each other. They were still enemies after all.

"So then..." he said, "who will begin?"

Saver shrugged, then cleared his throat. "Well, let's start with this green-haired asshole I once knew..."

* * *

**Well, that's the end of that chapter! Took me awhile to find my muse, but I finally got it! Again, more interactions, but again, it's all part of the world building! Don't worry, we'll be seeing more of Rider, Waver, Conqueror and True Assassin in the next chapter!**

**As for Albert's new look at that moment... well, blue hair, red eyes, and purple clothing tends to draw the eye. If he's going out in public, he might as well adjust his appearance slightly beforehand, otherwise he's just throwing up a red flag that says, "Suspicious person, right here!" They'll be time for that later when he's ready to show off.**

**And yes, being Lancer is still suffering, at least in terms of being a butt-monkey. Didn't get E-Rank luck for nothing, after all. Of course, fight scenes have yet to be seen. Don't fear, Lancer, your time is yet to come!**

**As for anyone wondering what happened to Souichirou, don't worry, that will be explained in time.**

**Alright, time for the newest Servant Skill Sheets! Today, the Tohsaka Servants!**

Servant: Archer

Master: Rin Tohsaka (Sakura Tohsaka serves as the source of Prana)

Identity: Counter Guardian EMIYA

Title: The Wrought Iron Hero

Series- Fate/Stay Night

Sex: Male

Alignment: True Neutral

Strength: C  
Endurance: C  
Agility: C  
Mana: B+  
Luck: D  
Noble Phantasm: ?

_Class Skills-_

Independent Action- The ability to remain independent even when rejecting the prana supply from the Master. At the higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in this world without an established contract.

B: Capable of remaining in this world for two days without an established contract. Also capable of living on for a short period of time after suffering extensive damage on his spiritual core.

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

C: Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.

_Personal Skills-_

Bravery- The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion and fascination. Not usable under the effects of Mad Enhancement.

B: Protects EMIYA from most types of low level magecraft that interferes with the mind's perception. A sufficiently powerful illusion can still affect him, though he can break it quickly enough if he if realizes it.

Clairvoyance- A Skill that connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons. At higher ranks, it is possible that the bearers of this skill have acquired such abilities as precognition ("future vision") and other forms of perception beyond standard eyesight (X-ray vision and so forth).

C: Capable of keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of 4kms.

Eye of the Mind (True)- A Skill that grants heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.

B: Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Magecraft- Knowledge about modern Thaumaturgy.

C-: Capable of using orthodox Thaumaturgy.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Kanshou & Bakuya- Gan Jiang and Mo Ye: C-: (Anti-Unit): *Same as canon*

Unlimited Blade Works- Infinite Creation of Swords: E~A++: (?): *Same as canon*

**Hmm, not much to say about Archer's, save a stat upgrade here and there. Then again, with UBW, I really don't _need _to give him any new Noble Phantasms.**

**Anyways, on to Saver's!**

Servant: Saver

Master: Rin Tohsaka

Identity: Ragna the Bloodedge

Title: The Grim Reaper

Series- BlazBlue

Sex: Male

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Strength: A (A++)* (A+++)**  
Endurance: B (A+)* (A+++)*  
Agility: B (A+)* (A+++)*  
Mana: B+ (A++)* (EX)**  
Luck: D (C+)* (A+++)**  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats under the effect of his Noble Phantasms _Azure Grimoire _and _Idea Engine_)  
** (Stats when his Noble Phantasm _The Black Beast _activates)

_Class Skills-_

Counter Hero- A Skill reserved for those of the Saver class, this ability imposes a parameter down effect upon any 'Hero' that the Servant faces in combat. It has to activated at will to be effective though.

B: Induces an effective 2-rank parameter reduction against any opponent that can be classified as a 'Hero'. The parameter-down effect reduced to 1-rank in the circumstance that the opponent is of the 'Antihero' category, and completely ineffective if the opponent is actually a 'Villain'.

Magic Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

E: Cannot cancel spells, but magic damage is reduced somewhat.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

B: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a fatal wound.

Disengage- The ability to break away from combat.

C: Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match. (Way I justify it... 'Rebel Two, Action!')

Monstrous Strength- An ability possessed by monsters and beasts, temporary boost of the Strength parameter by one rank for a time limit determined by the ranking of this skill.

B: (Every second of use increases the small chance of Ragna being consumed by the power of the _Azure Grimoire_ and becoming a humanoid Black Beast).

_Noble Phantasm:_

Blood-Scythe- Blade of the Avenger: C: (Anti-Unit): Ragna's main weapon. In its normal form, it is a massive two-handed cleaver-like weapon that can be used in conjecture with the Azure to drain an opponent's life force. In its awakened form, it takes the shape of a scythe with a crimson energy blade that appears to made out of seithr.

Azure Grimoire- The (Fake) BlazBlue: A+: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Ragna's right arm and source of the majority of his more powerful abilities. Taking the form of a pure black right arm, the Grimoire is a high-density mass of pure concentrated seithr, a deadly substance that can cause horrifying effects and death to others in large uncontrolled doses. Attacks used when this is activated have a dark aura that drain life force from enemies and bypasses any Magical Resistance. Boosts stats by aforementioned amounts when used in conjectured with the Idea Engine. However, over-usage has the potential to corrupt Ragna's body to the point he activates _The __Black Beast._

Idea Engine- Gift of the Mechanical Soul: C: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Ragna's left arm. Made from the remnants of Murakumo No. 11's regeneration tank, it serves as a seal of sorts upon his Azure and keeps it from going out of control. Ragna can temporarily boosts all parameters by one rank by bypassing the Idea Engine's safety procedures and using his Overdrive, 'Blood Kain Idea', though he can only use it to the fullest extent (without fear of it turning off) when combining the Azure with the Engine.

The Black Beast- The Dark Orochi: A+++: (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Ragna's most powerful Noble Phantasm, it is unique in the fact he cannot activate of his own free will. In order to use it, he must both overload the Idea Engine's safety protocols and overuse the Azure's power to the point his body becomes fully corrupted. Once this happens, Ragna morphs into a giant dark eight-headed serpent of seithr with no control over his own actions, becoming nothing better than a beast trying to destroy everything around him. His body emits seithr constantly, damaging anything that gets too close, and can also unleash it in the form of massive beams of power. The only ways to stop him by this point is to either use a Command Seal to calm him, use an even more powerful version of the Azure to force him under control, or kill him.

(Note: Overusing _Monstrous Strength_ does turn him into a humanoid Black Beast, but aside from enhancing Endurance to EX-rank, all his stats are equivalent to when he activates the _Azure and Ideal Engine_ and he does possess some control over it.)

**How's that for a potential game breaker? By the way, I did look 'Counter Hero' up, and it _is_ a Skill reserved for Saver-class Servants in canon. As to why I didn't give him 'Mad Enhancement', I honestly think enough Servants have that already in some form or another. Besides, I can't quite recall a moment in BlazBlue where Ragna struck me as truly insane, and the only times he really did was when he's under the Azure's more detrimental effects... even if the Berserking strategy is rather tried and true one with Ragna players.  
**

**And yes, I'm aware he received the Idea Engine before he got the new left arm, but I imagine his robot arm allows him to control the Engine, because how else does one explain how Kokonoe managed to activate it after tinkering with that limb in _Chronophantasma_?**

**Anyways, review, fav, and follow people! Tell me what you thought!**

**(Also, in a form of total shameless self-advertising, if there are any BlazBlue or Puella Magi Madoka Magica fans reading this, check out my newest side project: The Mahou Shoujo of the Continuum Shift, the first crossover of its kind!)**


	8. Just Some Innocent Conversation

**Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you the next installment of Fate/stay Nightmare!**

**Again, another slower one, but now the seeds that will lead to the next big battle are about to be planted.**

**Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One.**

**Alright, let's go!**

* * *

_**Ryuudou Temple**_

True Assassin was within her room inside the temple, currently taking stock of her inventory: Several revolvers, pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, assault rifles, a sniper rifle, rocket launcher, and multiple types of grenades all scattered around in different positions. Pausing for a moment, she grabbed a pistol, a Glock, and quickly ejected the magazine, noting with satisfaction it was loaded properly, then checked the slide and safety. Putting it back together, she set it down and quickly moved on a shotgun, performing a similar inspection before moving on to the next weapon and so forth.

'Good,' she noted with some satisfaction at her restocked inventory, recently pillaged from certain Yakuza gangs and maybe one or two military bases some ways away. Being a Servant with Presence Concealment had perks after all. 'Everything's working perfectly.'

Quickly, she reached into her shield and brought out her katana she used against Lambda and later Maka, noting that it had become slightly chipped during her clash with the former Berserker.

'I don't stand much of a chance in terms of close-range,' she decided. 'Looks like I'll be falling back to basic strategy if I have to engage her again.'

Basic strategy being 'time stop, unload weaponry, restart time, watch the fireworks'. Still, pretty damn effective.

Resheathing it, she placed it away, then began the process of putting her armory back into her hammerspace within her shield. As she did, she couldn't help but notice how quiet it currently was. But then again, such a thing was inevitable when most of her team was away, leaving her to guard Conqueror, the one that couldn't be trusted completely alone.

Not that she minded. Unlike Ulquiorra, her fellow Assassin, she had no need or obligation to necessitate going outside during the day, and she had no desire, unlike Slayer, to observe the sights of the city, something her Master was willing to indulge her in. No, she had no true interest in this world, even if it was in so many ways similar to her own. As far as she was concerned, there was only the Grail to be worried about to win, for it was her only chance to get back.

Of course, considering the circumstances that lead her to this point, putting her hopes in a wish-granting artifact was irony of the most dramatic and cruel kind. Yet again, she had no choice if she sought to set things right. She was committed to this, and as such she would see it through to the end.

'If only my Master had similar drive, or if he does, at least made an effort to appear so,' she thought with a slight grimace.

Albert Clover confused her. While certainly a powerful Master, to be able to not only summon but maintain three different Servants at once (though apparently Slayer apparently had something to do to help with Ulquiorra's continued existence) and also able exert such power even then, he sometimes didn't seem to take things seriously. He willing allowed Conqueror into the heart of their base, although with the very real threat of death above his head, and went through all the trouble of having Ulquiorra convince the opposition he was Assassin and then seemingly get killed off... only to not only send her out at the exact same time to deal with an important target that so happened to be where one of the Masters he faked his identity and death to was staying (although her discovery was admittedly her fault no matter how you looked at it), but even went so far as to send Ulquiorra to serve as the new teacher at Homurahara Academy, a place where no doubt several Masters made their day and practically showing off his survival!

And yes, while such a place would require surveillance, no disguise would fool anyone into thinking he wasn't a Servant. Anyone could tell that much about him with just a glance.

It all seriously made her wonder if Albert really had a plan or was just making it all up while he went, because everything seemed to point to the latter. However, she was an expert at being in situations where things were much larger and darker than they seemed on the surface, and she couldn't help but feel something similar was happening here. However, she couldn't find any evidence to support that.

"Unless one counts using the former teacher as the basis upon which Ulquiorra would be summoned," she mused, then suppressed a shudder as the words sparked a memory.

Apparently, in order to summon Ulquiorra as a 'Fake Servant' with the classification of Assassin, Albert had to use a living person's body as the base for his summoning, the more powerful in body and mind the better. Coincidentally (or perhaps not, given the way he seemed to know exactly where to look), he had found one such person within the temple, a monk by the name of Souichirou Kuzuki and the former teacher at the academy. While the man had fought back and rather admirably for a mere human, her Master had easily overpowered him and performed the summoning ritual, stabbing him through the chest with a strange black spike and watching as a strange black mud seemed to consume him before being the whole thing was covered in a flash of blue light, leaving only a kneeling Ulquiorra in his place.

Slayer had not been present for that event. True Assassin wondered if there had been a reasoning behind that.

'Perhaps that was why Ulquiorra had been sent to serve undercover as a teacher,' she reasoned. 'Perhaps he inherited the knowledge from his human 'host'.'

Regardless, that event made her wary to trust Albert, but again, who did she have to trust? Conqueror she did not trust on the principle of what he did to his Master and was an ally of circumstance at best. She had no doubt that he was already plotting a betrayal, as was Albert to him.

Ulquiorra was the opposite end of the spectrum, loyal to a fault to their Master. She had no doubt that he would strike her down in a heartbeat if Albert ordered it.

Slayer... was trustworthy, but she also respected their Master, which could lead to divided loyalties. True Assassin tried to avoid such situations as much as possible, because it left potential allies as wild cards that could go in either direction. And she wasn't exactly the best at building up friendships...

She shook her head. No, if nothing else, Albert would see this War through to the end. He had made that obvious when he first summoned her and they made their pact, and it was also the truest thing she could say about him for certain. All she could do was stay alert and be ready for any changes, just like she usually operated.

She reached out for another weapon, only to grab air. Blinking, she took a look around the room to see that it was now empty. She had apparently and successfully put all of her weapons away while still thinking about her Master, running on autopilot all the while.

'One less thing to worry about,' she decided, moving towards the door. 'Let's take a look at what Conqueror's been up to, shall we?'

Apparently, he hadn't left his room once. The fields placed around the area would have alerted her if he had, though that didn't mean he hadn't fooled them in some manner. It was possible, given his talent for magic.

T. Assassin quickly and quietly made her way down the halls, attempting to avoid any and all contact with the monks that were here. While they were currently under the effects of hypnosis from her Master, that still didn't make her any less wary of coming into contact with them. Luckily, she encountered no one, eventually coming to a stop near the room that Conqueror had taken for himself.

Being an adept of magic herself, she could almost sense the wards placed around the door, powerful runes inscribed to prevent others from eavesdropping or forcefully entering, as well as protecting the room and alerting him if someone stepped in without permission. Interestingly enough, he had also taken the time to ward the walls similarly as well, in case someone decided to try an outside-the-box method.

'He's certainly not taking any chances,' she noted with some level of respect. 'He is not a fool.'

"Impressed with what you see, Assassin?"

T. Assassin's eyes widened briefly as Conqueror's voice seem to come from the very door itself, causing her to step back slightly. A chuckled followed after her, amused by her reaction.

"My apologizes," Conqueror's voice said. "I had forgotten you aren't an expert at my brand of magical ability. I can 'see' you just fine."

Suddenly, the door opened a crack, just enough to show the Servant's face, one of his icy blue eyes staring out at her. "Care to come inside?" he asked. "I've been dying to have some sort of polite company and conversation all day."

T. Assassin stared at him for a moment. "If I did..." she replied slowly, "What guarantee would I have I'd walk out unharmed?"

He shrugged. "Just the fact your Master would probably kill me if I did anything, plus I don't feel like trying to murder you right now," he answered casually. "Besides, we're the only two Servants here right now. We might as well try to have _some_ level of polite discourse."

He was right, T. Assassin knew. Conqueror was no fool to risk her Master's wrath like this, not yet at least. Besides, a bit of conversation... wouldn't be too unwelcomed.

"...Very well," she acquiesced. "I will entertain your notions... for now."

Conqueror opened the door wider, allowing a brief bow towards her. "Well, ladies first, as they say."

* * *

_**Emiya Residence**_

Arturia Pendragon wasn't the kind of person who could be dumbfounded easily. As a knight, king, and now Servant, she had learned that one must always be able to keep a clear head and make decisions based on the information available. If something truly strange or unlikely came about, it was best to learn to 'roll with it' and try not to think too hard about it all, a necessity whenever Merlin was involved in something.

Of course, this Grail War had been one big shocker after another: Former allies still being alive, her Master being the adopted son of her previous one, the Grail having become a tainted menace that would have destroyed the world and might still be affected in some way, her son having been summoned and still hated her guts as much as when they had been alive... and now she was currently sitting across from another Master, who just so happened to be her former allies/friends' boss in some secret organization that could apparently travel to different universes and recruited warriors from said worlds.

Yes, to say she was dumbfounded was a bit of an understatement.

Said Master, Edgar Silverstein, was currently observing her, as if waiting for her response to his words. Near him, his comrade, Lyn Starrk, was just watching the pseudo-staredown along with Maka and Maiya with a slightly amused grin.

"I think you broke her, sir," she quipped as Saber just continued to stare in silence, mulling over the information she had been given.

"Lyn, don't be rude," Maka sighed, then looked over at Saber. "A lot to take in, huh?"

Saber turned to look at her. "It's... certainly something," she admitted.

"One of the better responses I've gotten when I tell people about us," Edgar admitted in kind. "But the question I have... is whether you believe it."

Believe it? Saber was having a hard time just to wrap her mind around it. The idea of such beings (not even from alternate versions of this world, but entirely separate ones at that!) actually living in this world as flesh-and-blood was mind-blowing at the very least. If nothing else, it gave one an entirely new-found respect for the power of the Second Magic.

'Is it really so far-fetched though?' a part of her wondered. 'Maka and Soul were obviously never from this world, the same as Assassin, Caster, Lancer or Avenger. What's to say a group of such warriors is impossible? It would certainly explain Noel's unique abilities as well.'

Also, this Edgar Silverstein... she had watched him closely for any signs of falsehood during his tale, some hint of a lie. She considered herself rather good at finding such evidence of deception, but her keen eyes had found none. Maka and Maiya had also vouched for his story, so either he completely believed his own falsehoods (extremely unlikely), was an exceptional liar (unlikely still, considering the persons who vouched) or he told the truth.

"...A hard to swallow tale... but you seem trustworthy enough," Saber finally answered. "I'll believe it... for now at least."

He shrugged. "Again, better than most responses I get."

Lyn sighed. "So, can we get to the nitty-gritty of why we're yet, Edgar?" she asked impatiently. "Now that you've done your little 'trial by fire' to get Saber to trust your word and all."

"I take it you want an alliance?" Maka asked. "Being a Master and all."

Surprisingly enough, he shook his head. "I thought about it... but considering your current alliance with the Tohsaka sisters, I think it might be best if we rather pursue... a non-aggression pact."

"Why do you say that?" Saber asked warily, her old instincts coming up. "Have you made an alliance with one of our enemies already?"

He grimaced. "Well, not an enemy of yours... rather, my Servant Beast has recently informed me he may have a potential alliance in the works with the Master of Defender... who just so happens to have a bit of a rivalry with Rin Tohsaka."

"Luvia Edelfelt," Maiya supplied helpfully. Everyone turned to look at her. She read the confusion on their faces and simply sighed.

"Former assistant to the Magus Killer, anyone?" she asked rhetorically. "The Edelfelts were a family we took a contract from. Details unimportant."

"...Yes," Edgar replied with a shrewd smile. "Anyways, I really would rather we didn't end up being drawn into conflict with my good subordinates. Edelfelt might not agree to an alliance, but a cease-fire until later would likely be far more welcome in her opinion... at least some of the stronger opposition is out of the picture."

"It's not a bad idea," Maka admitted.

"And this way, you still have leeway to help us if necessary," Saber added, understanding his intent. "While not antagonizing any alliance you would have already made with others, you and your allies will have the ability to provide support us in certain circumstances."

"Bingo," Edgar answered with a smile towards her. "I got to say, I see why Maka and Soul would occasionally speak highly of you, King of Knights. You'll be the perfect partner to keep Shirou from getting himself killed in this little War."

Saber glanced over at Maka at that (who looked slightly embaressed at the attention suddenly called to her) but took the compliment in stride. She did have her own question though. "I'm flattered, but also curious, Mr. Silverstein... and I ask this as one knight to another..."

"Yes?" he asked her, curious as to why she had brought up his throwaway line of being a knight during his little tale about himself and his organization. "What is it, Saber? There's no need to bring up our pasts as knights in this discussion."

"Perhaps, but... what is it that you desire of the Grail, if it were truly uncorrupt and capable of granting your wish?" Saber asked him. "What prayer would you offer to the sacred chalice?"

The room suddenly seemed to grow quieter, with both Maiya and Maka wearing expressions of surprise and yet also curiousity. Even Lyn, who had worn an expression of boredom and irritation until now, suddenly seemed to change to a more somber and worried expression.

Edgar's face, on the other hand, seemed to grow nostalgic. He seemed to lean back, staring into Saber's eyes.

"Well, admittedly it's not as selfless as your dream, Saber, at least of what I know of it," he replied. "But if I had to offer a prayer... it would be to be with my wife again."

Saber blinked in surprise. Edgar elaborated. "Our time together wasn't that long, perhaps, but I loved her as I have loved no other, before or since. For a time, my love for her only brought me pain, but in the end we were able to reconcile our feelings, and I was the happiest man alive." A shadow passed over his face. "Unfortunately, Fate decided to be a cruel mistress and she died, but not before forcing me to swear to never stop living and to someday find love once more.

He sighed. "I've tried, truly I have, but I have yet to find someone who makes me feel like I did for her. I suppose that would be my wish then."

A somber silence extended over the room. Lyn looked over towards him. "Edgar..."

He suddenly shook his head, a brief smile falling over his face to drive away the shadow. "Such musings are pointless though, even if the means to make them real do in fact exist." he admitted. "In the end, sometimes we have to just let go of our pasts and move on with our futures; see things for what they are and still can be, rather than what they could have been."

He stood up, giving them all a polite bow. "But as my assistant has been informing me nonstop, I suppose it's time we part for now. I'll be in touch."

"We'll be sure to tell Shirou and Rin about this," Maka told him. "Just so there are no misunderstandings on our side."

"I'd appreciate that," Edgar told her, "In fact, would you mind telling them about the fact we've more or less confirmed where at least one hostile Servant is? It's at the Ryuudou Temple, for reference."

"You're certain?" Maiya asked him.

"We've noticed some fluctuations in the leylines around that area, far too much for it to be simple coincidence," Edgar replied. "It _could _be nothing, but it's best to make sure."

"We'll check it out," Maka answered for Maiya.

He nodded. "I'll be sure to send a message tonight then." He then looked towards Saber, holding out his hand. "It's been an honor, King of Knights."

Saber allowed herself her own smile as she took it into her own, giving a firm shake. "Likewise, Shadow Knight," she replied. "My thanks for your honesty."

They parted, though Saber caught just a hint of hesitation at her words and in Edgar's eyes, as if he was trying to recollect something just out of his mental reach. It passed though, replaced with a smile, and then he began to make his way towards the exit.

"Bye Maka, Maiya," Lyn waved to the other two women as she followed Edgar outside. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise." Maiya replied.

"Take care!" Maka added.

Suddenly, Edgar stopped near the door, then looked back sheepishly. "Oh... uh Maka, care for a ride? I think you might be a little late for work..."

Maka blinked and then looked at the clock. She paled. "Oh God, you're right!" she yelped, quickly racing past the two of them. "I'm gonna be late!"

"Sorry!" Edgar yelled out as he quickly followed after her. "I'll make it up to you!"

"God..." Lyn muttered as she raced after them.

Saber and Maiya watched them go. Suddenly, Maiya raised her hand.

"Yes, they're a bit of a quirky bunch at times, for all their seriousness," Maiya told Saber. "You'll get used to it."

Saber sighed. "I suppose so... though it makes me wonder how Maka, Soul and Shirou were able to stand it."

"Like I said, they're quirky at times, not always," Maiya replied, then turned to walk away, leaving Saber alone.

The Servant of the Sword stared off after Edgar Silverstein, her mind replaying those last words of his.

_"In the end, sometimes we have to just let go of our pasts and move on with our futures; see things for what they are and still can be, rather than for what they could have been."_

Again, the doubts about her choice came to her, stronger this time. Perhaps it was time to simply admit that what was done was done: Camelot was gone and nothing would change that.

'But if so, what will I fight for now?' she wondered, clenching her sword hand tightly. 'What wish could I offer the Grail to have granted if not that?'

The silence offered no answers, as much as she wanted it to otherwise.

* * *

_**Ahnenerbe Cafe**_

"Well, here we are."

Caren and Avenger took a moment to observe their new surroundings. As the name suggested, Ahnenerbe cafe was an average coffee shop, with multiple booths near the walls and windows and quite a few black tables with chairs in the center. The entire place had a bit of a German feel and style to it, particularly in the floor and wall, and various old antiques in different places. The lights were all dim as well, giving it a very somber atmosphere.

"I've heard of this place, actually," Caren admitted. "They say it's a place that people who normally would never be able to meet each other can do so safely."

"What kind of rumor is that?" Avenger asked, as she looked around. "I mean, the place's nice and all, but seriously?"

Fallen shrugged. "Well, rumor or not, we're here now, so follow me."

The three of them, Avenger reluctantly, moved towards a booth near a window, but slightly out of view of anyone suddenly walking inside from the entrance. Once they had settled down, Fallen across the other two while Caren took up the window seat, a waiter came over.

"Can I help any of you with anything?" he asked politely.

Caren glanced down at the menu in front of her. "A cup of black tea and a slice of cheesecake, thank you," she requested.

"Two scones and a coffee," Fallen answered, not even glancing at his menu. "Black with plenty of sugar. Their orders are on me."

Mordred took a moment to browse the menu, her jaw slightly clenched as she tried to decide on something to be polite (and to take advantage of Fallen's offer). The waiter noticed her indecision.

"I'd recommend the strawberry cake personally," he admitted. "It's one of the cafe's specials, even better than the pie in my opinion."

She grunted. 'Not like I know about anything else on here,' she thought. "Fine. I'll have that and a glass of chocolate milk, cold."

The waiter nodded as he wrote it all down. "Are you all waiting for someone else?"

"Yeah, but he won't be eating anything." Fallen told him.

The waiter nodded. "Very well, I'll be back as soon as possible."

With that, he walked away. The moment he was out of earshot, Fallen raised an eyebrow.

"Chocolate milk?" he asked simply.

"Shut up," Avenger snapped back. "I like it, alright? Got a problem with that?"

He shrugged. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

Caren just sighed. "For my own Servant's sanity and mood, might I ask exactly when your Master will be making an appearance?"

Suddenly, Fallen's face morphed to a slightly uncomfortable expression. "Yeah... about that..."

Avenger's eyes narrowed. "This better not have been a damned trap," she growled, already ready to summon her sword and carve herself some angel wings.

Fallen quickly held up his hands. "Oh no, it's not that... it's just that we're about to reach the..." he paused as if trying to find the right word, "_awkward_ part of this meeting..."

"And that would be?" Caren asked him, still visibly calm but also ready to fight if things suddenly got ugly.

Fallen sighed. "Might as well get it over with," he muttered to himself before reaching into his coat. "You see, my Master won't reveal himself to you all in person-" He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. "Until you sign this."

Avenger blinked. "What's so important about that?"

Caren however, recognized what it was considering the circumstances. "Is that... a geas scroll?"

Fallen nodded. "Yup." He then opened the paper up, not showing its contents to them. "The writing is as follows: My Master, whose name will remain unmentioned until such time as you decide to agree or not, swears the oath, whether directly or indirectly, through his own actions or another's, to never kill or harm one Caren Ortensia or her Servant Avenger for all eternity. In order for this oath to become binding, the mentioned parties must never reveal said Master's identity to anyone, not even any allies, unless given permission. Failure to comply will result in the oath being rendered null and void."

He looks up. "Basically, we're offering the ultimate insurance against any backstabbing from our side to you, in exchange for continued anomaly. My Master would like to say in the shadows for as long as possible... a bit of preference, really."

"And you're okay with this?" Avenger asked him.

Fallen shrugged. "Hey, as long as I get to fight, I'm game. This doesn't really affect me save for the fact I won't be able to fight you seriously." He frowned slightly. "Actually, come to think of it, that's the only thing that makes me ticked off a little."

"What I'm surprised about is that your Master didn't include Caster or his Master into this." Caren said, giving him an analyzing stare. "It's almost as if he knew that they wouldn't come here today."

Fallen shrugged again. "Eh, he's just good like that, I guess. You really didn't think he'd trust such an advantage to someone who wouldn't even come to the bargaining table, did you?" He gave them both a look. "For some reason though, he seemed to think you're both trustworthy enough to be entrusted with an offer like this. The question is, do you take it?"

Avenger glanced over to her Master, who simply stared at the paper. She herself was wary of the fact that Fallen's Master was going to such lengths to conceal his identity, though whether it was because he was only seemingly willing to entrust the secret to her Master or that he predicted such an outcome she didn't quite know.

Caren was having similar thoughts. Again, this was truly an advantageous position that it would put her and Avenger in, but it still left questions.

'Why us, and not Kotomine as well?' she wondered. 'What makes us so special? Does it have something to do with the fact that Fath- Kirei is the mediator?'

"...Suppose I said yes," she suggested to Fallen. "Would your Master reveal himself then?"

He nodded. "Yup," he answered, then suddenly glanced around. "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he was hiding somewhere in here, waiting for you to sign so he could make a big entrance."

Avenger glanced around suddenly at those words, as if attempting to see if any of the current customers could be the Master. Fallen rolled his eyes.

"You realize we are the _only_ customers in here right now, right?"

She just stared at him.

"...Just saying."

"May I see that?" Caren asked, holding out her hand for the scroll. Fallen shrugged and handed it to her. She quickly took it and scanned it.

_Binding magecraft: Target – **[Unreadable]**_  
_The Circuits of the **[Unreadable]** family hereby command: Provided that the following conditions are met and are continued to be met, this oath shall become a commandment and bind the target without exception._

_Oath:_  
_To the **[Unreadable]** head of the **[Unreadable]** house, **[Unreadable]**, son of **[Unreadable]**: regarding both Caren Ortensia and her Servant, Avenger, all intentions and actions to kill and harm shall be forbidden for all eternity._

_Conditions:_  
_Refusal to reveal the identity of **[Unreadable] **to anyone else, not even to persons close to them, unless given permission by **[Unreadable]** himself._

Exactly as Fallen had said... still, she wanted a second opinion.

"What do you think, Avenger?" she asked her Servant, causing her to break off her impromptu staring match with Fallen. "What say you to this?"

Avenger blinked for a moment, then glanced at the scroll herself.

"...He seems to have been telling the truth throughout," Avenger admitted.

"Why thank you. I try." Fallen told her.

"Shut up," she snapped and then continued. "...and we truly stand to lose nothing in this. So I suppose... we probably should sign."

She then shrugged her shoulders. "Of course, it's ultimately your decision, Master. I will abide by it."

Caren looked at her. "That's your honest opinion?"

Avenger nodded. "Yes."

Caren was silent for a moment longer, then nodded. "Very well." She looked towards Fallen. "Have a pen?"

Fallen opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted when the waiter finally came back, holding their orders.

"Thank you for waiting," he told them as he set their drinks and food down. "I hope you enjoy."

"Thank you, sir," Caren politely replied. Fallen and Avenger offered their own thanks as the man walked away. "Now then," Caren said as she took a bite out of her cheesecake, noting with pleasure the cold taste on her tongue and the chocolate crumb crust. "About that pen."

Fallen grinned as he took a bite out of his scone, reaching into his coat to pull out a blue pen. Caren quickly took it and slowly signed her name on the line, then handed it to Avenger, who had just taken a bite of her strawberry cake and looked like she was about to have a foodgasm, a smile crossing over her face.

"Avenger," she muttered, tapping her Servant on the knuckle to get her attention. "Sign please."

Avenger blinked for a moment, as if realizing where she was, then, with hurried movements and her fork still sticking out of her mouth, signed her Servant class onto the paper.

Fallen took it back and looked it over, then nodded. "Alright, we can get this show on the road then."

Suddenly, he whipped out a flipback phone and punched in a number, putting it to his ear. There was a moment of silence when a ringing was heard, then the sound of someone picking up on the other end. "It's done," he said into it, then quickly flipped it shut.

"...You know, if you had sunglasses, it would have the perfect bad cop movie scene," Caren noted.

He shrugged. "Eh, I wanted to that the moment I learned this world had the sort of technology to do it."

A chiming noise from the entrance attracted their attention. They turned as one, and Caren and Avenger stared, while Fallen grinned.

"Right on time, priest," he greeted his Master as he sat down next to him, "Was wondering how you were gonna make your entrance. Going for the boring way, huh?"

Kirei Kotomine shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes, the boring way is the most practical one."

"...Well, that makes things make a shitload-more sense," Avenger stated simply after a moment of silence. Caren just stared.

Before anything could be said though, the door opened again, causing the four of them to look over. A certain, white-haired little girl entered the shop, followed by a familiar tanned man.

"I'm out," Fallen said simply, taking a huge bite out of his scone that seemed to inhale it before astralizing.

He was barely not a moment too soon as the girl took a moment to look around, her eyes scanning the establishment.

"I'm surprised we missed this the first time, all things considered," she quipped. "Guess they weren't lying after all."

Her eyes landed on the group of three, narrowing slightly at the sight of them. Before anything could come out of it though, the waiter from before suddenly walked up to them.

"Welcome to Ahnenerbe," he greeted them warmly, though with a slight hint of nervousness. "Can I help you two with anything?"

Ilya turned her attention towards him, her annoyance disappearing to be replaced with an innocent smile. "Oh yes, please!" she said warmly. "That'd be great!"

Berserker just nodded his head. The waiter offered them a smile and, sensing the mood, gestured to a table away from the others. "Well then, may you both please follow me?"

The two obliged, with Berserker giving the group a brief stare before following. The two Kotomines and Avenger stared after them for a few seconds, then Kirei sighed.

"So then, shall we begin negotiations?" he asked, grabbing the scone Fallen had left behind and already taking a bite out of it.

Caren's face was like stone, but her voice remained pleasant enough. "Yes, Father, let's."

Avenger slowly took another bite of her strawberry cake, not liking where this little family drama was going with the tension. 'I hope Father and I weren't... _aren't_ like this...' she thought. 'I mean... darn, I never realized how tense the air gets to others...'

* * *

_**Mackenzie Residence (Noonish)**_

Waver took a sip from his coffee as he read from his newspaper, trying to see if he could anything that might hint towards Servant activity. Rider was currently somewhere else, probably on guard duty or some such thing. Waver was never entirely certain what his Servant did in his downtime if he wasn't training.

"Let's see here..." he thought to himself, stopping on one article, noting the crater in the picture. "Well, guess people found the results of that little battle in the street this morning... 'Officials claim it to be the result of an explosive device, perpetrators unknown'... well, it's a better excuse than terrorists."

He turned the page. "'Damage to school property: Multiple cracks and craters in the school roof and damage to the windows. Believed to be the result of gang-related activity, but evidence currently inconclusive'... Wonder who that could that could be?" he asked rhetorically.

Another flip, and this time his eyes widened when he saw the picture. "'Residential area crisis,'" he read, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "'Last night, a home in the northern area of Miyama Town was attacked through unknown means, leaving the building damaged. The residents, the Emiyas, were unharmed, though they refuse to comment on the events.'" He sighed wearily, then scratched his head. "Eh, I already went over that with Bazett, so what's done is done, I guess."

He flipped the page again, already going over potential areas to begin scouting out. The Einzbern and Tohsaka Manors (both recently having gone over rebuilding after the events of the last War) were obviously prime targets, and the Emiya Residence was clearly the home of at least one Master. However, he wasn't going to go and start picking a fight with any of them just yet, mostly because they were the known quandaries in this thanks to Lancer's clashes and Rider's spying.

'That stills leaves the location of the Edelfelt Master and Assassin's former one,' he mused to himself. 'The former won't be too hard to find, all things considered, but the latter...'

He put down the newspaper to observe a map of Fuyuki he had brought with him to the kitchen table, noting several points where confirmed Masters were and circled areas where potential ones were. His eyes in particular lighted on the several-time-circled 'Ryuudou Temple'. He had heard rumors about people who were currently making their home up there, which no doubt meant at least one Master-Servant pair. It was an advantageous position, given the leylines' strength, especially if they intended to summon the Grail there during the endgame.

"It's definitely worth checking out tonight," he decided, giving it another circle and a jab.

"Certainly not a bad idea."

"Wah!" Waver yelped, his head snapping back up to see Rider sitting across from him, a hardcover book in his hands and lowered just enough so that his eyes could be seen over it.

"Don't do that!" Waver wheezed, holding a hand to his chest. "Could give a person a heart attack."

A dry chuckle escaped his Servant, the only indication Waver had of his mood given he was still wearing his bone mask. "My apologies. I'll endeavor to remember that." He looked down towards the map. "Again though, I have to agree with your assessment. This temple appears that it will possess great significance in the coming battles. It would make sense that a careful Master would attempt to get leverage this early on by controlling it."

"And if they already have, getting them out will be difficult," Waver finished, a grim look coming over his face. "If they set up Bounded Fields, they'll probably make it so there's only one safe way in, one probably covered in traps."

Rider nodded. "Will I be heading out tonight?"

"You and Lancer," Waver corrected. Noticing that his Servant looked ready to protest, he continued. "I know that you and Lancer don't exactly have the best working relationship, but the fact remains you're both good fighters and know each other's fighting style rather well from your spars. If you encounter opposition, it's better if you're both together to watch each other's back."

Rider's shoulders slumped slightly, but he nodded. "You are right, I suppose," he acquiesced, then looked back up. "Shall I send Dust to watch the temple?"

Waver nodded. "And once Bazett and Lancer get back, we'll go over the plan with them."

Rider nodded once more before suddenly astralizing. Waver went back to his newspaper.

"I wonder how the other Master-Servant pairs are doing?" he wondered out loud absentmindedly. "Wonder if they're coming to similar conclusions to us?"

* * *

**_Ryuudou Temple (Afternoon)_**

To True Assassin's surprise, Conqueror's room was rather well-furbished. Admittedly, it was a little cold (to the point she could actually see her breath), but aside from that, it really wasn't that... well, mysterious-looking. A few open books laid scattered about, and what appeared to be some form of notes written in a language she couldn't understand were on the table in the corner, but there was nothing that seemed to scream 'Danger!'

In fact, it looked like some sort of scholar's room, complete with two chairs near the center of the room for discussion between peers and a bed in the corner to sleep on, also with some scattered bits of writing all over it.

_"What?"_ he had asked her when she entered the room. _"You were perhaps expecting frozen walls with all manner of battle trophies mounted on them, complete with a grand throne in the center for me to sit on and ice zombies as my guards?"_

That bit aside, she had found speaking with Conqueror to be... surprisingly interesting. Despite his attitude, he was a man rather well-versed in different subjects, and while both sides refused to reveal anything truly concrete about their lives or worlds that could give the other an edge, there had been sufficient back-and-forth to make with a conversation of sorts.

Perhaps the one that topic that held both their interest though was concerning the existence of magic, or rather how this world's was different from their original perspectives of it.

"I take it magic's not that common in your world?" Conqueror asked her. "Real magic, I mean."

She nodded. No point in hiding it. "Humans do have the potential to use it," she admitted. "But in terms of actually harnessing that potential... well, there are few ways to go about it, an entire system about it, in fact. Unfortunately, all involve the would-be magic user biting off far more than they can chew or should be allowed to."

"I suppose you speak from experience," Conqueror mused. "I take it then that not all mages have the same powers you do."

"The correct term is 'Mahou Shoujo'," T. Assassin found herself correcting him. "But yes. While our base powers are similar enough, each one of us has a different sort of fighting style and magic, all which suit our personalities and our individual wishes, which were granted to us in return for our services."

"A lifetime hunting Witches to defend people and collect energy to save the universe from its eventual destruction, always keeping it a secret," Conqueror remembered from earlier. "So you were once one of those defenders of the light against the encroaching darkness, eh?" He gave her a look. "I sense there's more to this story than you're willing to tell though."

"Be grateful I told you this much," T. Assassin replied. "I'm honestly surprised with how much I've given away."

Conqueror chuckled. "Well, I suppose I might as well share a little of mine own. As you might have guessed, my world too has magic, though we're far less secretive about it. It might have something to do with the fact that almost every major race uses freely and such warriors are valuable for warfare. There's little need for secrecy when its use is so widespread and necessary for survival after all." A contemplative look settled across his face. "As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if my world ends up similar to this one if we were to ever increase our technological aspects to such a level and magic began to decline."

"I have a feeling your magic is a little different from the run-of-the-mill users of your world," T. Assassin quipped. "Especially if you earned such a title as 'Conqueror' among such beings who were no doubt on the level of seemingly gods."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, gods exist in our world, girl. As do dragons, titans, and demons, and let's not get started on the various types of elves, orcs, trolls and undead."

"Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel," T. Assassin noted with the slightest hint of skepticism.

Conqueror gave her a look. "As if the person from the world where magic-wielding barely-teenage girls fight monsters beyond comprehension has any right to criticize me. It sounds like something out of horror story for little girls, as the saying goes."

T. Assassin gave him the point. "Granted, but..."

He shrugged. "Let's just say I was once a proud prince who wanted to do whatever it took to protect his people and homeland. My people adored me, but no matter how hard I fought against the dark menace that threatened them, I could never truly defeat it. I grew... angry... and distant at what I saw to be unwillingness to do whatever needed to be done, so I went searching for the power that would help me on my own. Sufficient to say, I found it and used it willingly."

He looked away for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. "Things happened, and I became one of the most powerful and feared beings in my world's existence, lord of one of the greatest armies and my actions having great repercussions on the land that are felt no doubt even now, long after my death. I was a man who became a god."

'Not unlike myself,' T. Assassin noted, a slight amount of empathy leaking through at the sound of his surprising sad voice, though exactly _what_ in his tale he was sad about she was unsure of.

Exactly where the conversation would have gone from there, neither would be able to answer because T. Assassin, due to her connection to the Bounded Fields outside, suddenly felt two familiar sources of energy from enter. She immediately stood up.

"It would appear my Master and fellow Servant have returned," she told Conqueror. "I should go."

He shrugged. "As you wish. I do hope we can do this again though, Assassin. It was... interesting."

T. Assassin nodded and walked towards the door, though she kept an eye on Conqueror as he continued to sit down. Once she had exited and shut it, she immediately made her way to the Temple's entrance. As she did, she reflected on the conversation and found, to her surprise, that she didn't consider quite consider it as time wasted.

"'Interesting', huh?" she asked herself rhetorically, before shrugging in admitted defeat. "...I suppose it was."

* * *

_**Homurahara Academy**_

Beast sighed to himself as he wrote down the last of the notes on the board, honestly wondering why his Master had asked him to do this. Yes, infiltrating the school was necessary, he understood that since it was where no doubt several Masters went to, but couldn't he had gotten a different job, like janitor or something? Why student?

_"Because you look about their age and with a little shapeshifting magic, you would look completely inconspicuous,"_ his Master had told him. _"And I know for a fact it's easier to just change your physical appearance than it is to change your apparent age in addition."_

'He had me there,' he admitted as he ran a hand through his blue locks, grimacing at the color. 'But couldn't I have used a more natural color than blue?'

Of course, he still had the option to show a little bit of his golden hair, but it was cold comfort for him. Still, today hadn't been a total loss. He had apparently managed to gain a potential alliance with the Edelfelt Master, Luvia, as his Master had requested.

_"Her family and the Tohsaka have a bit of an old rivalry,"_ Edgar had told him after the events of last night. _"And considering that a Tohsaka has apparently made herself an ally to one of my recruits, I feel it's only right that I should try and nip this problem in the bud while I have a chance."_

Now there was simply the matter of-

"Mr. Valentine."

Beast flinched at the sound of his name being used. Focusing his attention, he looked towards the teacher who had spoken, his eyes meeting green ones.

"Care to answer exactly when the Sengoku Period was and what was it about?" Professor Cifer asked him, his gaze not once changing from its usual blank look. "It would appear that you've managed to write the notes down rather admirably, so let's hear what you've learned from them."

Beast cleared his throat, facing the fellow incognito Servant. "The Sengoku Period began in the later years of the Muromachi Period, 1467 to 1573," he replied. "It marked a time of intense internal warfare, as well as one of our first true contacts with the western world."

Assassin nodded. "Very good." He then turned to another student. "Ms. Edelfelt," he called, almost as if he had been reading his mind earlier. "Can you elaborate on what Valentine meant as to our first contact with the western world, specifically the country by which sailors were from?"

"Portugal, sir," the blond-haired girl replied.

"...Very good," the Servant answered, then glanced up towards the clock. "And with that, it would appear we are out of time."

As if on cue, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Assassin turned around and went back to his desk as the students filed out.

"We will continue this lesson tomorrow," he called after them, though his gaze seem to linger on both Luvia and Beast himself. "Review your notes as necessary."

'I'll be sure to do that,' Beast sarcastically thought to himself as he walked out, only to suddenly feel a hand grip his wrist as he exited. Turning his head, he saw Luvia looking at him.

"Yes, Ms. Edelfelt?" he asked her. "Is there something you require?"

She shrugged. "Nothing really," she told him. "Just making sure to keep you in my sight. You did say we were going to meet your Master afterschool, right?"

'Ah yes, that,' Beast remembered. He _had _promised that during their little talk during lunch, come to think of it. It was the only way to ease her suspicions of this being a trick. "Is your Servant with you?"

Her eyes flickered to a point seemingly behind him. "Yes, yes he is."

He briefly wondered if Defender was ready to sink his blade between his shoulders if Luvia thought he was playing her for a fool. Well, he had been in even more dangerous positions before and came out alive.

'One of the best ways to try and earn someone's trust:' he reminded himself. 'Manners and a smile.'

With that reminder, he offered her a slight bow. "Well then, let us go, assuming you have no other prior engagements."

"I'm fine, thank you very much, 'Liam'," Luvia told him. "I look forward to this meeting."

"...As do I, Miss Edelfelt," he admitted truthfully after a pause. "As do I."

* * *

**And with that, the chapter ends. Next time, we get to see everything and everyone get together, and then we have our first true melee a trois among Servants!**

**(Note: About those scenes where T. Assassin was spewing off Assassin's real name like it was no one's business, keep in mind that since he's really a Fake Servant and she's the real holder of the class, she basically has free points to use his name. And come on, everyone probably knew who he was when I gave a description anyways.)**

**But for now, let's show the next Servant Skill Sheets. And speak of the devil, this time, it's the two Assassins, and first up is Fake Assassin!**

**(Note: Due to being a more 'complete' Fake Servant than the one that appeared in Fate Zero Sanity, as well as being naturally superior to it, Ulquiorra actually possesses Servant Stats, Skills and even Noble Phantasms. However, he actually doesn't possess anything more than the lowest Servant power boosts: He's essentially fighting at the same level he was at during the events of Bleach, just a little tougher overall.)**

Servant: Assassin (Fake)

Master: Albert Clover

Identity: Ulquiorra Cifer

Title: The Fourth Espada

Series- Bleach

Sex: Male

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Strength: A (A+)* (A++)**  
Endurance: B (A)* (A+)**  
Agility: A+ (A++)* (A+++)**  
Mana: A (A+)* (A++)*  
Luck: D (C)* (E)**  
Noble Phantasm: A+

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Resurreccion: Murcielago_)  
** (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa_)

_Class Skills-_

Presence Concealment- The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class.

C: Hides one's presence as a Servant. Suitable for spying. The rank of presence concealment drops considerably when preparing to attack. However, this condition does not apply to poisoning something.

Magical Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

D: Cancel _Single-Action_ spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy. Stems from his _Iron Skin _skill.

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

B: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a fatal wound. Combined with his _Regeneration _skill, this makes Ulquiorra capable of surviving anything short of a fatal strike and keep on fighting.

Eye of the Mind (True)- A heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience.

B: Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.

Flash Step- The ability to briefly move at high speeds in order to get into a more advantageous position. Can be used as a form of teleportation of sorts.

A: Ulquiorra's Sonido (signature Flash Step), is fast enough to not only to cover vast distances with ease, but also has a chance to completely bypass an opponent who has the Instinct or Eye of the Mind skills.

Iron Skin- The ability to condense one's Prana into their skin, creating a steel-hard skin capable of defending against physical strikes.

A: Ulquiorra can block sword blows with his bare hands, and even if an attack manages to get by his guard, it would need to be at B-Rank or above in order to actually pierce his skin. Upgrades to A+ rank upon using his Noble Phantasm _Murcielago_.

Mystic Eyes- The possession of Mystic Eyes that are capable of interfering with the outside world.

E-: Not truly an ability of his eyes themselves, but Ulquiorra's Solista Vista allows him to crush one of his eyes to replay events he has seen for others, relaying his sight and feelings.

Presence Detection- The ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources.

B: Stems from his mastery of Pesquisa, which allows him to gauge an opponent's relative strength and read any fluctuations in their Mana.

Regeneration- The ability to restore damaged body parts to their original, undamaged condition. The more serious the damage, the more Prana is required.

B+: Ulquiorra's regeneration is fast enough to reset broken bones and restore entire lost limbs within moments, even if they were completely destroyed, and is capable of regenerating any lost body part save his brain and internal organs. However, if he receives too much damage too fast for him to recover, he can still die regardless.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Murcielago- Black-Winged Great Demon: (A+): (Anti-Unit, Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Ulquiorra's zanpakuto, it takes the form of a standard-sized katana with a green handle and sheath. The guard has two curved extensions from its long sides with a line going through both sides, giving it an eye-like appearance. When activating his Resurreccion, Ulquiorra calls out the release command "Enclose", which results in a surge of black and green Prana that falls around him like green rain. In his released state, Ulquiorra becomes bat-like in appearance, with large, black bat wings forming on his back to be used in flight, longer and wilder hair, and the remains of his Hollow mask centers atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front to give the impression of a war helmet of sorts. The lines on his face become black, broader, and more triangular, and his fingernails lengthen. His Arrancar attire becomes more form fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom. His stats boost by the aforementioned amounts, including increasing his Magical Resistance to B, and he gains access to two new Noble Phantasms: Cero Oscuras and Luz de la Luna.

Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa- Sword Release: Second Stage: (A++): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): The only Arrancar known to ever achieve a second release, Ulquiorra changes appearance dramatically upon activation. His clothing is now completely gone, revealing his slender white torso, with his bare chest patterned so his Hollow hole (which has become larger) appears to be dripping black, blood-like liquid, similarly to his lines on his face, giving the impression he's crying blood. His appearance is much more animal-like: His waist becomes covered in something similar to black fur, which also covers his arms and legs, and his fingers and his feet resemble talons. He retains his wings, gains a long thin whip-like tail, and two large white bat ears, all while both his mask and #4 tattoo disappear. To complete the picture, the irises of his eyes turn yellow and the sclera green, giving him an otherworldly presence that is only enhanced by the extremely dense pressure he exerts on his surroundings, causing the weak-willed to feel despair upon coming into contact with it. Allows him access to his mightiest Noble Phantasm, Lanza del Relampago.

Cero Oscuras- Black Hollow Flash: (A+): (Anti-Army): An upgraded version of the standard Cero Ulquiorra normally uses, only usable by the ten most powerful Arrancar of Sosuke Aizen's army in their released forms. Ulquiorra's takes the form of a massive black Cero with a green outline, possessing massive attack power and vast range. Upgraded to A++ in Segunda Etapa form.

Luz de la Luna- Light of the Moon: (B+): (Anti-Unit): Green energy lances crafted by Ulquiorra in his first release, he can use them as ranged weapons or as melee weapons, durable enough to block a normal blade with ease. Upgraded to Lanza del Relampago in Segunda Etapa.

Lanza del Relampago- Lance of Thunder and Lightning: (A+++): (Anti-Unit, Anti-Fortress): An upgraded version of Luz de la Luna, with the only, if noticeable, difference being the energy flowing off of each end in a fashion similar to flames, making it look more arrow-shaped. Ulquiorra can can use it as a melee weapon to both cut or disintegrate material, but its true power lies in its ability to be hurled as a projectile, in which it's strong enough to produce an explosion capable of consuming a good portion of a large city when detonated. Fittingly, Ulquiorra can't completely control its trajectory, despite being able to create them in rapid succession, so he must be careful before throwing.

**And now, for True Assassin!**

Servant: Assassin (True)

Master: Albert Clover

Identity: Homura Akemi

Title: The Time Mahou Shoujo

Series- Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Sex: Female

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Strength: D (B)* (C)**  
Endurance: C (A)* (B)**  
Agility: C (C+)* (B)**  
Mana: B (A++)* (A+)**  
Luck: D (C)* (B)**  
Noble Phantasm: A

* (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Homulilly_)  
** (Stats upon activating Noble Phantasm _Dark Homura_)

_Class Skills-_

Presence Concealment- The capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant. It is a common skill to the Assassin class.

A+: It is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.

Magical Resistance- Grants protection against magical effects. Differently from the Resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether.

C: Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of _High-Thaumaturgy_ and _Greater Rituals._

Territory Creation- the skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus.

B: Creation of a "Workshop" becomes possible. Possible due to her being a "Double Summon"

_Personal Skills-_

Battle Continuation- The strength of vitality for predicaments. Also, the ability to withdraw from combat and reach allied territory alive after being defeated.

A: Makes possible to fight even with deadly injuries and can remain alive so long as one does not receive a decisive fatal wound.

Collector- The talent to collect high quality goods - a 'luck' that draws rare items into the possession of the Servant. However, the Servant's Master derives no benefit from this personal skill.

A: Homura is a collector of weapons and the like, of which there is no limit she can store away nor how big they can be.

Double Summon- A rare personal skill possessed only by a select few Servants, it permits a Servant to simultaneously possess class skills from two distinct classes.

B: Allows Homura to possess her abilities if she were summoned under the Caster-class Servant.

Presence Detection- The ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources.

D: Limited ability to sense Servants, but incapable of differentiating a specific one from another without aid of a Bounded Field.

Regeneration- The ability to restore damaged body parts to their original, undamaged condition. The more serious the damage, the more Prana is required.

EX: Homura is capable of infinite regeneration as long as her Soul Gem remains intact. Even total and utter disintegration will not kill her, though it will take time to repair from that level of damage. However, damage to her Gem takes a long time to repair, and she will still die if her Master's connection is severed for too long or if her Gem is destroyed.

_Noble Phantasm:_

Time Shield- The Cycle of Life and Death: (B): (Anti-Unit): Homura's trademark shield, it provides her with two separate abilities: A 'hammerspace' which allows her to store any weapon or other item until she needs it (and which turns any such weapon into a weapon that can kill Servants, though only while it's in her possession) and her trademark 'time-stop' abilities, in which she can constantly start and stop time in order to maneuver into a more advantageous position. However, there are limits to how often she can use it, represented by the amount of sand in the shield's hourglass, and in the amount of range it has. In addition, objects can only travel so far from her before they become stopped by her powers as well, requiring her to return time to normal in order to effectively use her firearms, and anyone who is touching the shield in some way when she activates her powers will be rendered immune until their connection the shield is broken.

Soul Gem- The Essence of My Soul: (D): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Homura's purple gem which houses her soul, the fate of all who would become a Mahou Shoujo. As long as it exists, she can infinitely regenerate and survive. However, if the gem is destroyed through normal means, she will die, and overuse of her magic will cause the gem to blacken and become corrupt, eventually, if she doesn't take care and let the corruption seep away, breaking and becoming a Grief Seed, activating her Noble Phantasm: Homulilly.

Homulilly- The Nutcracker Witch: (A+): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)), Anti-Army): Homura's Witch form, the end result of what happens when a Mahou Shoujo's Soul Gem completely corrupts and shatters. While this transformation will occur naturally if she allows her Gem to become corrupt, she can also activate it willingly, summoning the Witch as a sort guardian entity. However, overuse of it this way will eventually put too much strain on her magic, and she will eventually lose control, allowing the Witch to absorb her and run amok. Either way boosts her stats by the aforementioned amounts and allows her to trap her opponents in a Reality-Marble-like space where she summons a seemingly endless horde of familiars to fight for her, in addition to being able to fight directly with powerful bursts of magic and guillotine-like blades. She has limited regeneration in this form, but she can die for real now and only truly be controlled in her berserk form by a Command Seal.

Dark Homura- The Shadow of the Devil: (A): (Anti-Unit (Oneself)): Homura's final form. In exchange for permanently sacrificing both her Time Shield and her unlimited regeneration, she gains the ability to access a fraction of her powers as the Devil of her world, who usurped the powers of her closest friend to create a new world where she and their friends could be happy. In this form, she now wears a black dress that clings to her body with black opera gloves and shoes, along with grey diamond-patterned leggings and a purple gem A large black, almost fur-like tail seems to trail behind her, similar to the collar that lies around her neck. A large pair of skeletal wings with black feathers emerge from her back to allow flight, and while she can no longer call upon her time powers or hammerspace, she now can summon a bow to fire powerful bolts of magical energy, and she has no fear of becoming corrupted into her Witch form anymore. She also gains the Divinity Skill: Rank A.

**Honestly, I'm not entirely certain _what_ that black tail-like thing that flows behind Homura's Devil form is. It could just be part of her costume, but I wouldn't put it past being actually a part of her.**

**Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Next time, we get to see (hopefully) some more battling!**

**Review, fav, and follow people!**

**(Note: Recently, I've come down with the bane of any good writer: Lack of motivation to write. I just can't bring myself to actually work on this story, so expect longer waits between updates. That does not mean I will be inactive; on the contrary, part of my dismotivation is the fact I'm getting urges to work on my BB/PMMM crossover along with another crossover that's been brewing up for a while. I'll try to get one more chapter out before New Year's, but don't expect miracles. 'Till then, amuse yourselves with my other forays into fiction!)**


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